“Senior advisor Torgeir Waterhouse of the Norwegian Consumer Council has responded to Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ open letter concerning digital rights management and free music, which the executive published earlier today. ‘We’re happy to see Steve Jobs take on the responsibility that follows from Apple’s role as one of the leading companies in the digital sphere and comment on the complaint issued by the Norwegian Consumer Council,’ Waterhouse told MacNN, referring to Jobs’ letter. ‘Our concern is of course that it’s Apple and [the] iTunes Music Store [that] should be addressing the issue of record companies and DRM themselves if it needs to be addressed – and as we’ve stated earlier it’s iTunes Music Store that’s providing a service to the consumers and therefore has the responsibility to offer up a consumer friendly product,'” MacNN reports.
MacNN reports, “Responding to Apple’s chief about the Cupertino-based company’s closed iPod/iTunes ecosystem, the senior advisor says Jobs’ claim that consumers aren’t locked into using Apple’s own products when they purchase music from the iTunes store is a contradiction, since the point and function of FairPlay — Apple’s digital rights management (DRM) — is to lock the music purchased from the iTunes store to work exclusively on iPods. ‘[Steve Jobs] also goes on to turn the whole issue on its head by stating iPod owners are not locked into [the] iTunes Music Store – the issue our complaint [addresses] is of course the opposite, iTunes Music Store customers are locked to the iPod.'”
Full article here.
And flying dump trucks are not the issue, it’s the dump trucks that can fly that we’re concerned about.
Will someone please tell this Torgeir Waterhouse idiot that iTunes Music Store customers don’t even need an iPod?
All music files purchased from the iTunes Music Store are protected by FairPlay, Apple’s digital rights management system. FairPlay allows you to play your music on up to five computers at a time (and enjoy unlimited syncing with iPods), burn an unlimited number of individual songs to disc, and burn playlists up to seven times each. – Apple Inc.
iTunes Store customers have emailed us over a period of years explaining how they burn iTunes Store music onto audio CDs for their car and portable CD players (no iPod involved), how they listen to iTunes Store music at home and work on both Macs and Windows PCS (no iPod involved), how they stream iTunes Store music from their computer to their home stereos (no iPod involved), how they enjoy iTunes Store music on their Motorola phones (no iPod involved.) Are you getting it? No iPod involved. In other words, for the morbidly stupid, you have no case, Torgeir. The facts prove that iTunes Store customers are not locked to the iPod.
Contact Torgeir Waterhouse of the Norwegian Consumer Council here: torgeir.waterhouse@forbrukerradet.no
Related articles:
Recording Industry Association of America wants their DRM, calls for Apple to license FairPlay – February 08, 2007
Warner’s Middlebronfman: Jobs’ DRM-free music call ‘without logic and merit, we’ll not abandon DRM’ – February 08, 2007
Dvorak: Apple CEO Steve Jobs is dead right about DRM – February 07, 2007
Apple’s Jobs jolts music industry; Zune exec calls Jobs’ call for DRM-free music ‘irresponsible’ – February 07, 2007
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ posts rare open letter: ‘Thoughts on Music’ – calls for DRM-free music – February 06, 2007
Apple Inc. and The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. enter into new agreement – February 05, 2007
Norwegian Ombudsman: Apple’s FairPlay DRM is illegal in Norway – January 24, 2007
Major music labels ponder DRM-free future – January 23, 2007
Clash, Pink Floyd manager: ‘DRM is dead’ – November 06, 2006
Study reports the obvious: most music on iPods not from iTunes Store – September 17, 2006
