User: cygnusx

I want an apology!

On: Sony VP On Stopping Napster

I *am* firewalling Sony at my pocket until I see a retraction of that in (dead tree|electronic) writing, and urge others to do the same. Also, US readers might want to consider writing to their Congressmen urging legal action against RIAA members for CD price fixing. I am not a fan of government intervention in industry generally, but if this is what it takes to bring the music industry into the Internet age then so be it. They have been miserable at it (where are the micropayments-based pay per song sites?) so far and instead of correcting their incompetence they are now threatening their customers. *Enough*.

Interestingly, Judge Patel wrote in her judgement:

"Indeed...[Napster] has contributed to a new attitude that digitally downloaded songs ought to be free--an attitude that creates formidable hurdles for the establishment of a commercial downloading market"

I have often wondered what Opera -- and innumerable other software companies -- feels about the attitude of many users that digitally downloaded *software* ought to be free... a fact that undoubtedly prevents them from gaining market share.