DRM: Not Dead Yet

During its final appearance at the annual Macworld expo, Apple announced that it was phasing out DRM (digital rights management) on all songs purchased from its Itunes Music Store. If you're unfamiliar with DRM, perhaps you're familiar with a message like this: "This computer is not authorized to play [insert song title here]."

The problem with DRM is that it limits a customer's use of legally purchased mp3s, often malfunctioning and allowing less than the 5 authorized users. I almost never purchase music on Itunes, but there's a price for convenience and I paid it. I purchased "Late Nite Radio" by John Denver to play on my college radio show this past semester. When I sent it to my co-host to play through her computer, it wouldn't play. I received the above error message even though I had only authorized one account!

Even though I vowed never to buy another song from Itunes again, I understood why so many others do. The Itunes Music store provides maximum convenience in a world where Itunes is the music software of choice. The consumer's quest for minimizing opportunity cost blinds them to the two major flaws of the Itunes Music Store: 1. songs are DRM-protected (until now); and 2. they come in a file extension(.m4p or .m4a) that's incompatible with other music players. Apple previously made some unenthusiastic attempts to offer DRM-free tracks, but they were only available from the Itunes Plus Store, which was (a.) more expensive than the regular Itunes Store; (b.) limited in selection; and (c.) poorly publicized by Apple.

Following Macworld, it seems like the age of DRM may be at an end. Alas, that would be incorrect. DRM is alive and well at Apple, as Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has highlighted below:

• Apple uses DRM to lock iPhones to AT&T and Apple's iTunes App Store;
• Apple uses DRM to prevent recent iPods from syncing with software other than iTunes (Apple claims it violates the DMCA to reverse engineer the hashing mechanism);
• Apple claims that it uses DRM to prevent OS X from loading on generic Intel machines;
• Apple's new Macbooks feature DRM-laden video ports that only output certain content to "approved" displays;.
• Apple requires iPod accessory vendors to use a licensed "authentication chip" in order to make accessories to access certain features on newer iPods and iPhones;
• The iTunes Store will still lock down movies and TV programs with FairPlay DRM;
• Audiobook files purchased through the iTunes Store will still be crippled by Audible's DRM restrictions.

DRM is now virtually obsolete in music, so there's still reason to celebrate. Still, hopefully Apple learns quickly that the DRM model is not the correct way to protect against piracy. Apple, along with other companies in piracy-afflicted industries, must find more sustainable solutions to profit from the new way the industry works. Ditching DRM is the first step.

Source: Apples Shows Us DRM's True Colors - Richard Esguerra, Electronic Frontier Foundation