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Congress Ponders Opening up iTunes DRM

hammeredpeon writes "Congress is debating whether or not to require that music shops keep their DRM open for interoperability. Apple wasn't present at the hearings, but Napster's CEO was, arguing that the market should make the decision about interoperability. Considering that previous standards (FireWire/USB, Betamax/VHS) have been decided by the market, could it be that Apple isn't big enough to keep the government out of its industry?"

14 of 610 comments (clear)

  1. So, uh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    is Congress cool now?

  2. Congress?! by sulli · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't they have, like, a War on Terror to support or something?

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.
    1. Re:Congress?! by BandwidthHog · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't they have, like, a War on Terror to support or something?

      Does Napster's palpable fear count?

      --

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  3. Re:Are they for real? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Somehow, I don't believe Mr. Smith 1.) Owns an iPod or 2.) downloaded music from real

  4. is it me? by Ishkibble · · Score: 2, Funny

    or does

    "Napster's CEO..." just sound farked up

  5. Congress by tylers · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is this really something Congress should be regulating? Is it really worth their time?

    If so, then I guess that means they've already balanced the budget, solved Social Security, and cleaned up the DMCA! Wow!

    Oh, wait...

    Sigh.

  6. un-fucking-believable by flacco · · Score: 5, Funny

    microsoft continues to ass-fuck the computing community without lube, and congress is looking at iTunes? at *ITUNES*?!! WHAT THE FUCK?

    --
    pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
  7. Mistake in article... by rsborg · · Score: 2, Funny
    from the article:
    Napster, the main challenger to Apple in the online music market, last year cracked Apple's DRM to make songs from its web song shop compatible with the iPod. While Napster's Pence did advocate a more open approach from Apple, he said mandating one through government was not necessary.
    Shit, I had no idea Napster hacked Apple's DRM!!! (Notice that the paragraph of the article says Napster, but the link talks about the well-known Realmedia Harmony-hack and subsequent recovery by Apple).

    Clearly: Jo "don't know" Best.

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  8. Re:A bad idea by istewart · · Score: 5, Funny

    He's behind Enterprise, too! That son of a bitch!

  9. Priorities? by yardbird · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hope this isn't interfering with more pressing issues, like the hearing on Major League Baseball!

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    Free, legal music for iTunes users.
  10. Congress by nurb432 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Needs to mind its own business.

    Next they will try to mandate daylight savings time...

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    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  11. We're all forgetting who we really owe... by iJakBeatZ · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe everyone should shut the fuck up and ask the artists (and record companies) what they want.

    The artists and record companies got pissed off when people shared tapes -- not much they could do except say "That is illegal. Please support us and our labels and don't share your music".

    The artists and record companies got pissed off when people shared CDs -- not much they could do except say "That is illegal. Please support us and our labels and don't share your music".

    The artists and record companies got pissed off when people started ripping their CDs into MP3s and sharing them over the intermaweb -- not much they could do except say "That is illegal. Please support us and our labels and don't share your music".

    Apple comes along with ITMS and says "What you've all been doing is illegal. The artists and record companies would like your support, so here; pay $0.99 for a song". The artists and record companies love it.

    Someone here said that people like to be entertained, that's true. If it wasn't for the artists, the people wouldn't be entertained.

    The artists deserve the money they get for their music. To that end, I say again that everyone should just shut the fuck up and let the artists and record companies decide how DRM should work.

    Consumers, shut the fuck up... You've been getting a free ride for far too long.
    Congress, shut the fuck up... You have know idea what you are talking about.
    Apple, shut the fuck up... You guys did really good with ITMS. Ever since I switched to Mac, my whole live has changed, thank you! I think what you have done with ITMS is a fantastic first step for the industry (although I will never buy from you because 192K bit rate doesn't do any justice at all to the music I love on a good stereo compared to a CD), but I think things need to change.
    Real, shut the fuck up... I think you suck, period.
    Napster, shut the fuck up... The only reason people subscribe to your shitty service is because they can't afford an iPod and are forced to use inferior products on an inferior OS and are forced to rent music. How inferior can a product be.

    Let the artists and labels decide and everyone just shut the fuck up.

  12. Re:Who's Behind The Scenes On This One? by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2, Funny

    mmmmmm, lamb.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  13. STFU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's when you have to tell people to SHUT THE FUCK UP, you really should just shut the fuck up yourself.

    Oh wait...

    Doh!