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Apple, Microsoft, Napster slammed over DRM
The customer's always wrong, says digital liberties group

By Jo Best

Published: Friday 02 September 2005

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has put the issue of DRM (digital rights management) in online music under the microscope - and has found the key digital song shops seriously wanting.

Apple, Microsoft, Napster and Real have all left consumers hamstrung with the DRM on their services, according to the EFF, and have couched the restrictions in marketing spin.

Microsoft's Plays for Sure initiative - where the Redmond giant promises compatibility between services and devices bearing the Microsoft sticker - comes in for criticism for not necessarily 'playing for sure'.

"What happens if you later want to switch to a WMA-incompatible iPod or a superior device that Microsoft won't license? You'll have to rebuy your music collection. Unlike MP3s, you can't easily convert DRM-crippled music to a different format. Likewise, if you switch music stores, you might have to buy a new set of compatible devices. And if the time comes that stores and devices no longer support your DRM, you're entirely out of luck."

Apple, Microsoft and Napster all sell tracks with the ability to change buyers' usage rights at any time. For example, at the time of purchase, a user may be permitted to burn an album to CD seven times. DRM permits an online music service to reduce that number at any point with no input or comeback from the buyer.

Apple has used DRM in this way, dropping the number of burns permitted for iTunes downloads from 10 to seven.

The report also notes that despite Real's frustration over being locked out of iPod compatibility and subsequent efforts to crack the Mac maker's DRM, its DRM behaviour is less than ideal for consumers.

"Real's 'Freedom of Choice' campaign says that consumers should be able to play their music using the device of their choice," the report said. "That's what you want but it's not what you'll get from Real or any other service that sells songs wrapped in DRM.

"Real's customers are chained to the narrow set of software and devices licensed to unlock Real's proprietary DRM or Microsoft's Windows Media Audio (WMA) DRM. Want to stream music throughout your home with Creative's Sound Blaster Wireless Music? Too bad. Can't do it with music from Real."

The report also raps Napster over the knuckles: "Napster 2.0 and many services like it provide celestial music jukeboxes but you better bring a sack of quarters. Using DRM, they charge extra for many traditionally free uses of your music... Napster 2.0 is divided up into three services. They all share one thing: complicated, restrictive DRM."