“Defective by Design (DBD) is planning a protest at many U.S. Apple Stores Saturday, June 10th at 10:30am. Their protest is against Apple’s DRM which makes it possible to purchase music legally via iTunes and listen to it on your iPod and up to 5 computers,” iMacazine reports. “DBD has made similar protests against other forms of ‘Digital Restrictions.’ During their protests they show up in yellow Hazmat suits and inform passers-by of their cause. According to the DBD site targeted cities include San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Long Island, and New York.”
Defective by Design’s Gregory Heller writes:
Two weeks ago we launched DefectiveByDesign.org – the Campaign to Eliminate DRM – since then, more than 2000 technologists have joined us and taken the pledge to stop DRM through direct action. Now we are taking the campaign to a national stage in an effort to increase discussion of DRM. This Saturday, June 10 at 10:30am (local time) Flash Mobs will gather in San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Long Island and New York converging on Apple stores to warn customers of the dangers of DRM in the iPod and iTunes.
Apple claims that people would steal from them if they didn’t use DRM, and that they have to protect themselves. This is how they would like to portray it, but it’s not how it is. Inclusion of DRM in products sold by Apple and other companies is inspired by their greed and desire to control us. To accomplish their goals, they want to monitor, report, and regulate your every interaction with your computer and electronics.
All music purchased from the iTunes music store has DRM in it. That means, at the moment, you can only have a certain number of copies. It used to be you could have 10, then Apple changed it to 7. Nothing stops them from changing it again, to 5, or 3 or 1. With DRM Apple can change the rules AGAIN, and at any time. DRM gives them that power over you. Your devices will have to do their bidding. That is what DRM is about, taking the control away from you, and giving it to Big Media and companies like Apple. The hardware and software they sell you will enforce their rules, by removing your rights. As the largest distributor of DRM infected technology, Apple has set a new low in the mistreatment of our freedoms.
Take back your technology. Say no to DRM in your computer, in your home, and in your pocket.
More info here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Defective by Design” sounds like the perfect name for this group and, as an added bonus, also splendidly describes Heller’s prose. An aptly-titled “twofer,” if you will. You don’t like DRM? Then dress up in your yellow suits and hats and protest outside the headquarters of the “Big Four” music labels: Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Group. They’re the ones responsible for DRM and for treating their customers like criminals, not Apple. While DBD are obviously shooting for maximum publicity by going after Apple, that still does not excuse their misguided aim. Protesting against DRM at Apple retail stores is like protesting against federal gasoline taxes at the corner gas station when you should be marching in Washington: wrong target and wrong venue, “Defective by Design.”
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Break out the iCattleprods.
I predict 6-8 people show up, a few crazy stares… and little else
they shouldnt be protesting against apple, they should be protesting against the greedy music corporations that don’t let their music sell without every security measure possible!!
Yeh-heh-hehessssss, only in America could you have a group that purposely names themselves ‘Defective by Design’! I think the defects start at de top with these guys.
Come onnnnn . . . what’s next? A protest outside your local TV station because Leno sucks? A gathering outside McDonald’s to complain about fattening food and no real meat in de burgers? A ‘Flash Mob’ in front of Scores to protest de high price of lap dances?
Hey, wait a minute . . .
Would it be wrong, if confronted by these people, to throw permanent ink on their faces?
This time MDN is 100% right on. Apple fought with the record industry to get the least annoying DRM they could.
When the recording industry tried to coerce Apple to raise prices on new releases (without lowering prices on old releases!), Steve called them on their greediness and stood his ground.
If you really can’t handle DRM, then you can either buy the damned CD or obtain the non-DRMed music illegally.
I’m happy paying one or two bucks for the one or two songs I want from any typical album that comes out. If I REALLY love the WHOLE album, I go and buy the CD for $17 at the local music store.
How can people be so completely naive that they argue that they should be able to buy music online with no DRM? Have we transcended the need for policing all of a sudden? Are we now ready to get rid of the legal system, the police, the government and the military, and the locks on our doors, now that everyone is totally honest and considerate? I think not.
As usual, the protesters, the victims, the oppressed all bleat injustice. But when pressed to offer up an alternative solution silence ensues.
talk about shooting the messenger.
I hate DRM but MDN is correct. The music labels are responsible for forcing it on us.
I’m having trouble with iTunes and now I’m locked out of my purchased music if I use another music player. So much for “owning” my iTunes music.
What’s the “alternative solution”?
I couldn’t be more pissed off at eejits like these. I just had to sent them an email. What tools! MDN take is correct this time.
JESUS FREAKIN’ CHRIST
JUST BURN THE SONGS TO A CD!!!!
Whoa . . . this is serious.
I think they can do it . . . I mean, they’re using “flash mobs”.
There’s no defence against that.
DRM is goin’ down in about 3 weeks . . .
Hm… Obviously, none of you get the point of public protestation: raising maximum awareness about a political issue. Or, “shooting the messenger” is a very effective means of getting the point across.
If the DBD people where to protest outside any of the major label’s HQs, which arguably WOULD be the right thing to do, there’d be a lot less visibility brought to the action. The mere fact that Apple is garnering a lot of press is VERY good for DBD’s bottom line.
Consider this: FairPlay DRM is “not that annoying”, granted, but any DRM is annoying in any case. Apple has the first and foremost market share in DRM’d music online sales, therefore Apple (FairPlay) seems like a reasonable target.
Just a question of loudly raising an issue.
Drunk Cheney,
Any reason why you can’t burn your music to a CD and re-rip so that you can put it anywhere else you choose?
“What’s the ‘alternative solution’?”
The alternative solution is even more lawsuits from the MPAA. Personally, I’m not convinced this is a bad idea–don’t make everyone suffer, just those who illegally copy music.
The only thing that is defective is this group of Windoz wussie’s.
It is the record companies that required iTunes to add DRM before they could even start the music store. Blaming Apple is totally wrong!
By the way, one CAN do online music sales WITHOUT DRM.
Case in point: http://www.bleep.com is Warp Music’s (Britain’s premier electronic music label) online music store, extracted from their FAQ:
“- Bleep tracks are standard Mp3 files that are compatible with all computers, ipods and Mp3 players (unlike AAC format (with Fairplay DRM) offered on iTunes or Microsoft’s WMA format)
– Bleep tracks are very high quality, encoded with the renowned codec LAME using the ‘–alt-preset standard’ Variable Bit Rate setting. This uses a higher bitrate for encoding loud sections of a track, and a lower bitrate on quieter sections – it is widely acknowledged to give the best sound quality while maintaining manageable file sizes.
-Bleep files have no ‘DRM’ or copy protection built in. We believe that most people like to be treated as customers and not potential criminals – DRM is easily circumvented and just puts obstacles in the way of enjoying music.”
Dig?
“…they should be protesting against the greedy music corporations…”
Or maybe they should be protesting against all the f***ing thieves who made it necessary to institute DRM in the first place. If nobody had been stealing it, it wouldn’t have been locked up.
The “greedy corporations” wouldn’t care if I made a hundred copies for myself, as long as I didn’t distribute their content free across the net. I’d imagine if anyone in this silly “flash mob” ever produced anything original, they’d feel much the same way.
The only ones who have a real problem with Apple’s DRM solution are either thieves or spoiled brats with too much time on their hands. Really, why don’t they go volunteer at a local soup kitchen if they want to be public spirited–well, I guess they would have as much fun if they’re weren’t dancing around in yellow suits with their friends…
Kate
“Protesting against DRM at Apple retail stores is like protesting against federal gasoline taxes at the corner gas station when you should be marching in Washington.”
And if you protest at every corner gas station if the country? Wouldn’t that be a lot more efficient than a puny march in DC? I mean, apart from saving on fuel? ;^)
Besides, you don’t write to your President, you write to your Congressperson or Senator, there’s a lot less filters to dodge.
Do these clowns think this will make Apple drop Fairplay just because they don’t like it?
Methinks the record companies might object.
Simple solution.
You no like? Don’t use the iTunes Music Store.
If only they were planning to show up in D.C.
I could definitely buy a case of tomatoes and leave em outside in the sun till their protest. Have a nice little greeting ready and waiting.
That settles it, I’m buying my father’s birthday present, an iPod Nano, this weekend at an Apple store on Saturday. What a bunch of losers.
It’s a lie that you are restricted to how many copies you can make. You delete your playlist and put it in a new playlist and you can make more copies of a file.
This is typical of anarchists who have no clue about the benefits of protecting intellectual property. The big music companies are greedy and they abuse their customers for sure, but Apple makes it easier to have the minimum DRM that protects content creatores and gives the users as much freedom as possible ni a compromise.
To fanactics and zealots there is no compromise. This jihad against Apple is disingenuous, and it will fail.
flyermoney –
Hey, man – bleep.com’s not worried about piracy because few have ever heard of any of their offered music. Most of those bands sell, at best, a few copies of their home-produced cd’s per year to grandma and uncle Al. They’d be more than happy if one of their obscure tunes caught on and got big through piracy.
The thing is, though…once they got big, and real money was at stake and they saw a chance to move out of their parent’s basement, they’d be adopting whatever method of DRM that was most effective.
Dig?