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France Considers Anti-DRM 'iPod Law'

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the learn-to-play-together dept.

Asklepius M.D. writes "According to the Washington Post, France is contemplating legislation designed to 'to force compatibility between digital songs and the different machines that play them.' Known colloquially as the 'iPod bill', it is opposed by Apple, the Business Software Alliance, and others who refer to it as 'state-sponsored piracy.' Two versions of the bill have already passed France's Senate and National Assembly. From the article: 'Under the proposed law, Apple Computer Inc., Sony Corp., Dell Inc. and other companies could have to reveal trade secrets of their software so that their songs can play on competitors' devices.'"

8 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Very good for consumers by Embedded2004 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This would be extremely good for consumers. As a consumer I'd love for a law like that in my country. Obviously it sucks for companies like Apple.

    1. Re:Very good for consumers by aristotle-dude · · Score: 2, Interesting

      How does this help mac users like me? I have an iPod because WMA based DRM devices do not work under OS X. This law would not force MSFT to write a version of WMP for OS X that supported DRM. All it would do is provide competitors access to iTMS.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
  2. Still not sure... by Hitchcock_Blonde · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...how this is good for France, since the businesses will just pack up and leave.

    --
    Karma Schmarma
  3. Why just music players? by tktk · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I'd like NTFS drivers for all my OS's.

    Oh, and gaming consoles. I could save money buying just buying one console but games from everyone.

    Ok, I went overboard, but it's fun to imagine.

  4. Re:Or come up with a standard by penguinstorm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How about unencrypted AAC, which provides higher quality sound with smaller file sizes than MP3.

    Half my library is in AAC format, as are a lot of less knowledgeable users. Why these silly electronics companies keep releasing players that only support MP3 & Microsoft formats I don't know -- I'd love to buy from Sony, but I'm sure as hell not going to re-rip my entire library.

    Oh....wait...why does my Sony cellular phone play AAC tracks, while a Sony portable music player doesn't?

    Kind of makes my head shake.

    --
    Skot Nelson music is my saviour / i was maimed by rock and roll
  5. Re:State sponsored copyright infrigment? by Gadzinka · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Some would argue that it is. Some would even argue that it goes back to a Judeo-Christian principle that a "laborer is worthy of his wages" and that a government is merely recognizing their responsibility to protect that right.

    I could more or less agree with that, but I don't see how you could put into this picture:

    • People, for generations to come getting benefits from some work of art done by some guy they've never met; us, mere mortals, when we want to secure our heirs, we have to save money; if we want to secure our own future we have to give part of our wages for some kind of social security
    • Authors of the works getting slavery wages while all benefits are ripped by someone who didn't labour. And said parasites ordering the authors to pay for packaging and breakage of electronic copies of the works, as confirmed by courts in many jurisdictions
    • Parasites buying rights to lock me behind bars when I want to watch my lawfully bought movies on Linux, or dump said dvds to my harddrive for convenience of watching
    • Other parasites saying me what I can and can't do with my legally bought gear, like my Xbox, which after modding is used by me almost exclusivelly as media center


    No, I don't think it's a natural law, if it takes something that gets closer and closer to police state, to protect.

    And believe me, I know how police state looks like, I grew in one.

    Robert
    --
    Bastard Operator From 193.219.28.162
  6. Re:State sponsored copyright infrigment? by Fros1y · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually,

    European Copyright law has traditionally viewed copyright as an extension of natural law. In particular, rather than the utilitarian tradition of anglo-saxon copyright, continental systems have viewed it as an extension of the moral rights of authorship.

    In that sense, it's more difficult to argue for principles such as fair use or mandatory licensing, attributes easily explained and rationalized within the anglo-saxon worldview.

    Of course, international treaties are essentially hybridizing all of this law. From what I've seen, though, moral rights are more likely to be imported into our regime than fair use into "theirs." For instance, the Berne convention has a mandatory provision for a subset of author's moral rights, but only permissive grants of authority for national governments to establish fair use type rights, if they so choose.

  7. Re:No. by wpegden · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think maybe you didn't understand my post. An optical digital out is on the back of many stereos these days. (There is one coming out of my soundcard.) It can be sent to some digital receivers instead of using standard coax cables for better quality sound. However, since the optical output is digital, it can be used with a recording device to make a perfect copy of the digital original. This is existing technology. Question: what happens to this technology? Do you oulaw it? I have trouble finding a straightforward answer to this in your post. If you don't outlaw it, I defeat your DRM proposals.