Reports say that Sony has come up with a new DRM system for cd’s. Not only does the new system use spyware technology on Windows to enforce the DRM, they also started a pissing contest with Apple on who’s fault is it that people can’t copy songs from the “CD’s” (they don’t adhere to the Redbook standard and can’t thus actually be called CD’s).
The most outrageous thing in the whole debacle is that the DRM doesn’t kick in on Macs:
If you think that this cannot get any dumber, you would be wrong. The coup de grace of this exercise in corporate stupidity is this:
“If you have a Mac computer you can copy the songs using your iTunes Player as you would normally do.”
Words simply fail me …
So not only is Sony extremely hostile to its own customers, it’s also dumb as hell business-wise. With the new system people who own e.g. a Sony Vaio laptop, can’t easily copy stuff from their legally purchased “CD’s”. However, people with Macintoshes churn away with a big smile on their face without ever noticing there’s some DRM on the “CD”. And the whole point of Sony was to put pressure on Apple. Yeah, they fail me, too.
Meanwhile in Finland
I could just bypass this whole thing by just saying “Hey, too bad, I have a Mac” if it wasn’t for the new Finnish copyright law. The law specifically bans circumventing DRM systems. The consensus seems to be that a system that even my grandma could break is not DRM, anything beyond that is.
So is the new parasite hiding on Sony “CD’s” DRM or not? You could argue that it is, because you need some minor knowledge to get music from it to iTunes on Windows. However, on Mac you just can’t trip into that trap so it’s disputable whether it can be called a DRM system at all. So I might not be criminal even if I copy such a disc on my Mac1.
But wait, there is more. The same law also bans discussing circumventing DRM openly. So at least now I am a criminal. Oh, but so is everyone else talking and writing about Macs since they are from this point on clearly a tool used to circumvent DRM. So you can’t talk about them legally. Oh please, dear police, come and get me, right now. I’m in my office. Actually, come get me from the Zip restaurant, between 1 and 1:30PM, I will be having lunch there then. You’ll save a bit of tax-payed gas that way.
1 Not that I would ever buy such a fucker. I’m on a mission now, together with many commenters in the original post. I will never, ever buy a Sony product as long as their attitude towards consumers is at the current level. Supersize that.