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VLC Developer Takes a Stand Against DRM Enforcement

Posted by samzenpus on from the fighting-the-good-fight dept.

jamie writes "The GPL gives Apple permission to distribute this software through the App Store. All they would have to do is follow the license's conditions to help keep the software free. Instead, Apple has decided that they prefer to impose Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and proprietary legal terms on all programs in the App Store, and they'd rather kick out GPLed software than change their own rules."

4 of 717 comments (clear)

  1. Another VLC Developer's Take by TraumaHound · · Score: 5, Interesting

    He thinks there's no real issue here.

    http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1850340

    As a major VLC developer, I have to say that the FSF is pushing bad faith and FUD.

  2. Why shouldn't Apple remove apps by owner request? by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So Apple *may* remove the VLC iPad app, because the people that own VLC tell Apple there's a license violation - knowing that in the past this means Apple will pull the app.

    Isn't the definition of insanity repeating the same action and expecting different results?

    If you want to end DRM, you need to support Apple since they are the only large company who has worked to end DRM and had some success. You need to keep things like VLC alive in the app store, so that users will be more tempted to use non-DRM downloads and consume them on modern computing devices.

    But instead, the FSF is playing into the hands of the media companies by keeping things like VLC player out of the mainstream and attacking the only company with the same goals of ending DRM. Nice work FSF, this is seriously making me re-think my yearly donation...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  3. Re:Looks by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Exactly. It's not exactly hard to download VLC from its home site. I now use VLC exclusively on my MacBook for playing video media - much easier for those of us living in Australia, with DVDs obtained from the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

    Apple, of course, offers you a limited number of times you can change the region of your DVD device, but VLC just ignores the region setting altogether. As far as I'm concerned, I've paid for legitimate media, the artists involved get their royalties, so Apple has no business standing in the way of my using said media.

  4. Re:Looks by h4rm0ny · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That's curious. Nearly all of the DVD players sold in the UK (unless you're only talking about drives for computers?) are region free.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.