“The Free Software Foundation has begun an online petition urging Apple chief executive Steve Jobs to remove protections from the iTunes Music Store,” Shaun Nichols reports for vnunet.com.
“The campaign is run by DefectiveByDesign, a branch of the Free Software Foundation that opposes the use of DRM software. The group claims that the technology deliberately cripples software and limits the rights of consumers,” Nichols reports.
“The group filed its petition in response to an open letter from Jobs published in February,” Nichols reports. “Jobs said in the letter that Apple would remove its FairPlay DRM software from iTunes were it not for tight restrictions imposed by the major record labels.”
Nichols reports, “DefectiveByDesign’s Open Letter to Steve Jobs demands that the Apple co-founder make good on his promise by removing FairPlay from iTunes songs by independent artists.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Is DRM doomed? – March 09, 2007
How Apple’s FairPlay DRM works – February 26, 2007
Windows Vista’s DRM is bad news – February 14, 2007
Monster Cable announces full support of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ call for DRM-free music – February 13, 2007
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
Norwegian Ombudsman: Apple’s FairPlay DRM is illegal in Norway – January 24, 2007
Major music labels ponder DRM-free future – January 23, 2007
seeing how conservatives are a majority in America
This is a myth, at least as far as GOP-style conservatism is concerned. The nation breaks down just about 1/3-1/3-1/3 GOP-Dem-independent these days, and the independents are leaning Democratic.
If you ask people “Do you consider yourself ‘conservative’ or ‘liberal’?”, “conservative” will win out, only because the right have succeeded in making “liberal” a dirty word. Ask the same people their stance on individual issues, and the “liberal” side wins almost every time.
TowerTone, pray tell what does the 2nd Amendment has to do with DRM?
Lest you protest, I will remind you that you were seconding LorD 1776, who brought that subject up.
This is what I mean: injecting your ideological fetishes (you’re a gun nut, right?) into totally unrelated discussions.
And what on earth is so hard to understand about asking Apple to remove DRM from INDEPENDENT artists, who are not a party to any contracts Apple has with major music labels?
You might construct a technical argument (e.g. as LordRobin tries above), or perhaps a marketing argument (e.g. customer confusion) against having some tracks be DRM-free.
But no, you and your fellow cretins insist on making an IDEOLOGICAL argument against a petition for DRM-free songs.
That’s what I call totally stupid and a colossal waste of time. There’s no other way to describe it.
So please – I beg of you – please either learn to stay on topic and make intelligent contributions to the topic at hand. If you can’t do that, then why don’t you go away and blow your ideological smoke somewhere else?
LordRobin-
I’m not speaking of GOP style.
I’m speaking of the common sense type.
There is still a little bit of that in both parties.
WGA-
I agree with 1776 mainly about reforming the Democrat Party.
I don’t even own a pellet gun.
I generally leave politics out (save for some humor) but will jump in when I feel like it.
Why don’t you include the libs in your rant? Is it OK for them to inject their ideas? (I certainly think so)
TowerTone, I don’t see too many Paul Krugman clones in this forum arguing in favour of a single payer medical system in a discussion about multitouch screens. If they did, I’d ask them to go away too.
But, for some unknown reason, this forum seems to attract far more than its fair share of right wing lunatics. And they should go away.
Ever heard of Always Right?
Cubert?
G Spank?
ChrissyOne?
These are all good(hearted) lefties.
Not to be confused with
SidneyStephen
Frank
Stuart
These may be good people too,
But I lock my doors at night
just in case…
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How did Jobs’ letter inspire their online petition when it’s obvious they did not read the fuckin’ letter.
If they had they would be petitioning The Labels, not Steve Jobs, in an effort to remove iTunes Music Store DRM.
WGA –
“lunatics, fanboys, slithering, stupid, ranting, raving, foaming at the mouth, stupid, knuckledraggers,Can’t you read? fool, No one else cares. We don’t want to hear, blow smoke up your own ass, sleep in your coffin, leave the rest of humanity alone.”
Sounds like someone has some anger mangement issues. Maybe when you are done as the offical spokesperson for humanity, you might want to look into getting a little help.
TT –
If you ever need some suppressing fire, let us know. We’ll cover you till you can get safely away ……
Lets looks the real reason the major Lables want DRM online
Also why Apple doesn’t offer cd quality downloads.
The Labels want to support the cd empire and prevent a mass revolt.
1: cd’s give higer quality music.
2: real cover art.
3: no drm.
And my point was, Apple is catering to the Labels in this regard by making all music DRM.
Apple is also laying the groundwork for managed content by slowly getting consumers accepting DRM.
Sure Steve says DRM won’t work, but it will if it requires a particular little DRM decoding chip that’s flashed at the factory.
How many average joes will be able to reflash their TPM chip?
Unfortunately Steve Jobs doesn’t have the power to do that. Only the record labels can authorize that. And we all know how they feel about it. You can moan and whine all you want about getting rid of fairplay DRM but it won’t help unless the record industry does something about it. Steve Jobs cannot period.
Look at me, i’m a political genius. I am going to post on boards and rant about other people’s beliefs even though I do not truly understand the words and meanings i am using.
wooo. Look at me save the world by arguing about politics that matter to the children being abducted in Africa and being murder, and being so worried about what a bunch of jackasses do with their time.
I think its time we get over these little issues, lets sort them out quickly and fairly and move our focus on the truly important things. *sigh*
@ Alice.
Too true.
@ TT.
I’m with you bro … i don’t like the cut of WGA’s jib …
@WGA.
Hey dude! get off my patch, I’ve got the “ponce” license here.
@r.
That so frick’n sums it up, nice one.
Hmmm…
Although the FSF online petition mentions Independent artists, I’d not take them seriously or give them much credence unless they also insist on online petitions to the main music labels, Microsoft and every other company/website that sells music with DRM.
Anything else is just jumping on the Apple DRM bandwagon, using free publicity and suspiciously going after an ‘easy’ target – not really wanting things to be level or really talked about.
The whole issue of DRM is finally getting into the public eye, and public discussion can only be a good thing – it’s only got this far because most people never knew about it and its effects/restrictions until a long time after it became entrenched [iTunes DRM has been around since the beginning, but people are only complaining about it now].
Whether Apple does DRM is almost irrelevant, as MS really has the power and market control – they own most of the computers in the world and they actually have much more impact.
After all, every MS box insists on DRM/restriction for virtually everything and for everything they come into contact with.
So with that in mind, who’s really pushing for DRM acceptance and intrusion into our lives ??
Just my thruppence worth.
Wish these same people would get as worked up over free gasoline.
Yesterday I paid $2.75
MacArch,
Blush…. In the light of a new day, you are absolutely right that I’ve turned into a potty mouth.
I hereby apologise for my harsh and inappropriate language.
Yes, this is a genuine apology. I still believe that injecting politics, religion, or ideology into discussions where it isn’t warranted is rude and inappropriate.
But I behaved inappropriately myself by using such brutish language, and it behooves me to avoid cheapening our public discourse.
Thank you MacArch for that reminder. Much needed, and lesson learned.
This smells of big Electronics backing. How much do you want to bet that Sony, Microsoft, Creative, and a few others are behind this group and the EU’s attempt at ‘forcing’ Apple to concede marketshare to the greedy manufacturers (who have restrictions of their own on their own technology)
Andrew Hamilton
Video Production Las Vegas
http://www.hiproductions.com
Something may parents taught me was never to discuss politics and religion (unless the people on the group are willing to). When I was a kid, I never totally understood it. But now I know why:
Politics and religion carry too much passion and not always too much common sense.
No matter where you lean, when people go to extremes, regarding of the side, the talk is always stupid, the discussion is always bitter and the opinions are mostly stupid.
I don’t believe all liberals are stupid (or smart). I don’t believe all conservatives are stupid (or smart). I rather filter people by their brains than by their political affiliation. And one of the ways you measure people’s brains is, well, their capability of debate.
I don’t want to disrespect anybody. To be free to say what we think is perhaps the most valuable thing a free society has. And to respect other’s people way of thinking (despite of how much we would disgree) is also part of leaving in a free world.
The price we all pay for living in a free society is to deal with (and accept) issues we don’t agree with. The advantage we have is that, if we don’t agree, we can express it and fight it without being punished for it. And we might win or lose, but we can always take a stand.
I say this, I support this, and when I say this, some people call me “liberal”, some people call me “conservative”. I don’t really care. It’s about the principles, not the politics.
So, how about we all shut up about politics and talk technology?
Curious: MDN Word: enough
As a long time Linux user (before my first Mac), I respect Stallman for what he has done for free software, but I disagree with him in many ways.
Whle I believe if free software, I also believe in the CHOICE between giving it up to the community OR making a profit out of an invention (and, yes, a program IS an invention.)
In that sense, I believe in the choice of musicians to post their music with or without DRM. How much of a technical challenge would that be for iTunes? I really don’t know.
But the bottom line is, it should be about choice.
Am I talking nonsense?
Thanks.
Stallman seriously disappointed me when he went to Cuba and was feted by Castro.
As for “liberal” being a dirty word, I’ll quote Will Rogers: “I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money.” So apparently liberals had made their own bed for quite some time.
Honestly, the war on poverty and other big-government styled programs are miserable failures. Medicare gets defrauded of millions of dollars every year. Social Security (a huge scam — created by FDR to pay out at 65 when the average age of death was 60) was not even designed to be solvent. Even Clinton admitted as such when he reformed welfare.
The beauty of iTunes is its simplicity. You can get indie artists somewhere else if you don’t want to go through iTunes, right? Emusic anyone? What’s the problem here, really?
Morons. It’s the labels they need to push, not Apple. Didn’t they read Steve’s open letter to drop DRM?