“Sony’s rootkit, as bad as it was, isn’t the real story. The way the entertainment cartel is applying DRM as a whole is the real story. They’re applying DRM in a way that the Sony fiasco was inevitable. This wasn’t the first time lack of DRM interoperability manifested itself in the end-user experience in an ugly way, and it won’t be the last. Sure, the rest of the entertainment industry is rewriting its DRM playbook to keep from repeating Sony’s history. But rest assured, another DRM-inspired trainwreck will come along that will light the grapevine ablaze and some other content company will end up with egg on its face when, in reality, it’s Microsoft and Apple that we should really be angry with; two companies that are driving incompatible DRM technologies into the marketplace in a way that twists the royal (or should that be ‘royalty’) screws into the world,” David Berlind writes for ZDNet.
“And, it’s only going to get worse. Unbeknownst to most people, what started with music (let’s just say audio) already applies to video and it’s not going to stop there. Video that’s wrapped in Microsoft’s DRM has been in the market for quite some time already. The fact that video has been added to Apple’s iPods and that FairPlay-protected video will be sold through Apple’s iTunes Music Store (IMS) only adds insult to injury. Just like with music purchased at the IMS, the video you buy at the IMS can only be played back where Apple lets you play it back. This is different from the old days where you could buy a DVD knowing that you could play it in any DVD player,” Berlind writes.
Full article here.
Advertisements: The New iMac G5 – Built-in iSight camera and remote control with Front Row media experience. From $1299. Free shipping.
The New iPod with Video. The ultimate music + video experience on the go. From $299. Free shipping.
Nonsense. Berlind writes, “This wasn’t the first time lack of DRM interoperability manifested itself in the end-user experience in an ugly way, and it won’t be the last.” Too bad it wasn’t “lack of DRM interoperability” that was the problem with Sony. The problem was installing a rootkit that opened security holes and phoned home each time a user played a song.
We should blame Microsoft and Apple? Well, one out of two ain’t bad. Apple has the de facto standard for online legal music DRM, FairPlay or protected AAC, with over 700 million (estimated) songs sold to date and a firm grip on 80% of the market. Why does Microsoft insist on trying and failing to propagate their proprietary DRM (as proprietary as Apple, granted, but without being the de facto standard) scheme on the world? It is Microsoft that’s responsible for the incompatibilities. Remember that Apple’s iTunes is free and works for both Mac and Windows, unlike all of Microsoft-based online music stores which are incompatible with Macs.
Apple will eventually license FairPlay to others, thus ensuring that Apple’s DRM becomes to unquestioned standard. But, the time is not now. It’s too early and there is no reason why Apple should hurt themselves for no economic benefit. Let the others try to compete with the iTunes+iPod juggernaut. After they fail, Apple can begin licensing what they’ve worked so hard to build wholly on their terms. If they miraculously begin to succeed, Apple would license FairPlay, too. It’s a timing issue more than anything.
To sum up, without some form of DRM, there would be no legal content online. The content providers demand it. Users should be angry with Sony for going too far and Mac users should be wondering why Microsoft can’t seem to make their DRM compatible with Macs, if they and their WMA-based online music store partners want to compete so badly.
We see Sony addressing the XCP malware-style ‘root kit’ issue for Windows users, but we see no mention of Sony’s other SunnComm-laced CDs that can install kernel extensions on Mac OS X which is what prompted our boycott of all Sony products in the first place. This is highly troubling, to put it mildly. Therefore, MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews are continuing to boycott all Sony products until this and other “copy-protected CD” issues are addressed appropriately by Sony and recommend that our 2.2+ million unique visitors per month from 136 countries worldwide do the same.
Related articles:
Texas sues Sony BMG for ‘spyware’ on CDs – November 21, 2005
Fingernail-sized piece of opaque tape defeats Sony BMG CD copy-protection DRM scheme – November 21, 2005
Retailers report Sony BMG, EMI copy-protected CDs turning off music buyers – November 20, 2005
Sony Boycott continues: Sony recalls XCP-tainted music discs, offers Red Book compliant CD exchanges – November 17, 2005
Sony BMG infected music CDs could be good for consumer rights – November 16, 2005
Microsoft to remove Sony BMG malware – November 15, 2005
Sony BMG infected music CDs could lead Sony into ‘big-league legal trouble’ – November 15, 2005
EFF publishes open letter to Sony-BMG calling for recall of all infected Sony-BMG CDs – November 15, 2005
Boycott Sony – November 14, 2005
Sony BMG ‘temporarily suspends’ production of music CDs with copy-protection scheme – November 11, 2005
Boycott Sony products: Sony music CDs can install kernel extensions on Mac OS X – November 10, 2005
Computer security firm: ‘Stinx’ virus hides within Sony’s copy protection scheme – November 10, 2005
Sony sued over copy-protected CDs – November 10, 2005
SonyBMG antics may well cause public to turn on them and turn many people onto Apple Macs – November 06, 2005
Report: Sony copy-protected CDs may hide Windows rootkit vulnerability – November 01, 2005
Analyst: Sony BMG’s boycott of Apple’s iTunes Music Store Australia won’t last long – October 24, 2005
Apple launches iTunes Music Store Australia – October 24, 2005
How to beat Apple iPod-incompatible Sony BMG and EMI copy-protected CDs – October 04, 2005
Japan music labels look to impose ‘iPod Tax’ while Sony, Warner still not signing with Apple iTunes – October 10, 2005
Why aren’t Sony, BMG, Warner, Victor making their artists’ music available on Apple’s iTunes Japan? – October 06, 2005
Sony and Warner holding out on Apple iTunes Music Store Australia – September 08, 2005
Musicians stage mutiny against Sony, defiantly offer music via Apple’s iTunes Music Store – August 10, 2005
Sony BMG and EMI try to force Apple to ‘open’ iPod with iPod-incompatible CDs – June 20, 2005
New Sony BMG copy-protected CDs lock out Apple iPod owners – June 01, 2005
Record company causes Apple to hit ‘pause’ on Australian iTunes Music Store – May 05, 2005
It’s Sony’s fault for producing the malware in the first place and Microsoft’s for having such a swiss cheese OS that is so easily compromised. Those are the only places to lay any blame in this particular case.
wow.. sometimes MDN Takes are exactly like my own. creepy
Thank You MDN. The Mac Root Kit seemed to have fallen by the wayside. It is imperative that we keep this issue alive until Sony fixes it.
I would like some details about the thing for starters. I followed your links MDN and could find precious little in the way of details on how you can tell if it is on your Mac, what it exactly does, and how to remove it. Please see if you can find something on this.
All DRM is bad. Apple’s may be the least bad, but it’s still bad.
My advice is to ignore any DRMed music if you possible can (or while you possibly can). Buy red book CDs and rip them using iTunes.
The record companies are to blame, Microsoft is to blame and Apple is to blame. Ultimately though, it is a stupid and disunited public that will be to blame for the rise of DRM. The best way to protest is with your wallet. If nobody (literally) buys into DRM, then DRM will fail.
But all the suckers will screw it up for the rest of us and yet more moeny will flow to the pigopolists.
“It is Microsoft that’s responsible for the incompatibilities.”
Well, not exactly. Apple is equally responsible.
It’s fine to say, “hey don’t worry, Apple will eventually license Fairplay and you consumers won’t be locked into Apple products.” But what happens if Apple decides to never license Fairplay? What happens if Apple eventually makes Fairplay even more limiting? The issue isn’t about playing purchased songs on the free iTunes media player (which MDN apparently thinks is the only issue), it’s about the future when more than just MS and Apple are using DRM.
As for the kernel extension (kext) that is on the Sony CDs, there’s no need to worry about it. You will have had to open the disc, find the right folder, double clicked on the right file, OKed the license and confirmed that you wanted to install it.
We should blame Microsoft and Apple? Well, one out of two ain’t bad. Microsoft has the de facto standard for an OS, with over 700 million (estimated) copies sold to date and a firm grip on 90% of the market. Why does Apple insist on trying and failing to propagate their proprietary OS X (as proprietary as Windows, granted, but without being the de facto standard) scheme on the world? It is Apple that’s responsible for the incompatibilities.
AFAIK, the major difference between FairPlay and encrypted WMA is that FairPlay is wrapped around the AAC files, rather than integrated into it (the bits are still encrypted). But this leads me to believe that when the music and movie industries finally see the light and realize that people will purchase content simply because it’s the right thing to do, then Apple can strip the DRM from their songs completely transparent to the user. That’s only a wild guess.
Grunt: good one! You is so funny!
(you *are* kidding, right?)
What we have is a situation where Apple controls what their protected files can be used, but they don’t even make the products that let you use it effectively.
The best they can do is try to sell you an iPod (which may not have enough storage for a whole library), or an extra iMac for you living room to use Front Row, or a remoteless, display free Airport Express.
They should be licensing this stuff to 3rd parties like Roku, Miglia and Elgato, so that they can play DRMed files, or they should at least be making their own devices.
(Ideally, of coursem, there would be no DRM)
Jack A – Go here to find out what Sony’s rootkit installs on Macs. As for getting rid of them if they’re already there, well…
Umm, Hywel — exaggerate much?
Why is everyone who could possibly EVER want a form of DRM considered to be a member of the big, bad, money-making “pigopolists”? (Whoever the hell THEY are.)
Gee, uh, don’t you think that the “little” guys might just want some teensy, weensy form of DRM as well? As a creative, I know I do — not enough to be overtly obtrusive, but just enough to restrict things and lean them just a LITTLE bit in my direction. You know, me — the guy who CREATED THE STUFF IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
Most business in America are small businesses. There are millions of “little guys” out there. They deserve to have their digital creativity protected as much as — if not MORE than — the huge record companies, etc.
A “fair” (pun-intended) system of DRM would be acceptable to most people — both creatives AND consumers.
Like FairPlay.
Is SunnComm, Macrovision & Intel (yes, Intel). These people have been hacking at this for a long time and aim to destroy your fair use rights in ALL MEDIA and on ALL PLATFORMS.
Follow the links and get educated.
http://stereophile.com/news/020904sunncomm/
http://www.macrovision.com/products/activereach_games/safedisc/index.shtml
http://www.sunncomm.com/Brochure/SunncommPage2.htm
http://www.toad.com/gnu/whatswrong.html
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/aw032300.htm
http://www.dvdcca.org/
Hywel,
The choice was simple for Apple… bow down to the demands of the music labels or find something else to do… there never would’a been an iTunes Music Store.
I agree that DRM can be restricting, but in very very very few situations. If anyone is running into the limits to any great deal, they’re doing something questionable anyway.
I don’t want to buy an entire CD for just that one song. What a waste of money and plastic. Show me a company that’ll burn a RedBook CD of the songs that I want (not from compressed files) and I’ll show you my wallet.
We should remember that DRM schemes are not there because content distributors want them but because the Labels want them. Apple had to agree to the Labels’ demands to protect their product before the Labels would allow them to open the iTMS. Evwen so, Apple have negotiated the least painful system for their distribution rights on the iTMS. I have only run up against the FairPlay DRM wall once when I was giving a copy of a song from the iTMS to a friend. I had to type in my password to ‘authorize’ her computer to use the song. I consider that pretty liberal DRM.
Grunt, please go troll elsewhere. The attempt to draw a comparison between Apple and MS with respect to media DRM and then apply it to the OS has been sufficiently debunked. They are different issues.
If you are new here, please identify yourself as such and someone will happily school you on the issue. If you are not new here then you should know better. We have our resident trolls which we know and love. If you want to be in that circle you are going to have to work harder to distinguish yourself.
best wishes …
http://advection.net/drm/drm_history.html
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/netshow/maintain/dbmwp.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/drm/features.aspx
http://www.drmwatch.com/article.php/3097951
Seriously, apple is just as bad as everyone else with a closed drm format. The only thing that keeps companies from having an open standard for drm is GREED, yes apple is also greedy (though not as bad as the record companies… they play in a whole new division). An open format would allow consumers to buy songs from where ever they want and not be tied to a certain player/store and would put more competition into the game.
What apple is doing is wrong but i’m happy it’s apple doing it because atleast now it just works
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
The blame rests solely with us dumb ass consumers. If we didn’t buy XX product because we didn’t like XX the company would have to either change or go out of business.
Never happen because the shallow end of the gene pool is too sleepy from waiting in line til midnight to buy a f’n xbox.
Just my .02, I could be wrong.
“Nonsense. Berlind writes, “This wasn’t the first time lack of DRM interoperability manifested itself in the end-user experience in an ugly way, and it won’t be the last.” Too bad it wasn’t “lack of DRM interoperability” that was the problem with Sony. The problem was installing a rootkit that opened security holes and phoned home each time a user played a song.”
Exactly! Well said.
The article is a cod rip-off of Bruce Schenier idea. Bruce wrote a “the real story” piece for Wired – but Bruce really did have a “real story” that was worthwhile reading.
I certainly agree that DRM itself is a serious issue and deserves a lot more attention from the public. And the machinations of the record lables/Hollywood, the maneuverings of Microsoft and (sorry Apple fanboys) Apple, and the actions of elected representatives need to be watched very carefully. That’s true as far as it goes.
But don’t minimize what Sony did and start whining about how “evil Apple made me do it”. These b@st@rds installed a rootkit on people’s PCs. Let’s not lose sight of that.
I hate it when my 45’s don’t work in my CD player!
Support the DMCRA!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMCRA
This writer is a worthless ass. They only publish these stories to stir up the idiots that are as uninformed as this ZDnet executive author.
This is an excellent example of why I don’t bother to even look at ZDnet tripe anymore!
I don’t see how Apple’s DRM is such a problem. It allows you to rip it onto a normal CD and strip it anyway. Then the track can be used however you want. Buying from iTunes doesn’t limit how you can use that track, however the DRM they’re throwing on the CDs themselves does seem to do that in a big way.
Hywel said it nicely:
“What we have is a situation where Apple controls what their protected files can be used, but they don’t even make the products that let you use it effectively.
The best they can do is try to sell you an iPod (which may not have enough storage for a whole library), or an extra iMac for you living room to use Front Row, or a remoteless, display free Airport Express.
They should be licensing this stuff to 3rd parties like Roku, Miglia and Elgato, so that they can play DRMed files, or they should at least be making their own devices.”
If Apple decides to license FairPlay, then no problem. But until they do, Apple’s stance on FairPlay is not good for the consumer.
And Oldtimer,
You’re analogy is a very poor one, unless it was meant to be funny, which it unfortunately fails at too.