Player Blog Category Archives: DRM
Apple Out of Tune With Harmony
Don't say we didn't warn them. The introduction of Harmony from Real Networks, a way to make Real's Helix DRM technology compatible with the iPod, has drawn the ire of Apple's legal team. Apple says that it is "stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod".
Reportedly, Apple is looking into taking legal action via the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. The DMCA includes provisions against "circumvention" of copy-protection technologies. IANAL, but is Harmony really circumventing FairPlay? In DRM terms, I would characterize circumvention as removing DRM from a piece of protected music. As I understand it, Harmony adds FairPlay DRM to music rather than subtracts it. All it really circumvents is Apple's iTunes Music Store.
More bits at the Wall Street Journal, Mac Rumors, Dan Gillmor's eJournal and BBC News.
Related Links:
Real Networks Introduces Harmony
Playing Wal-Mart Tunes on Your Player
You may have already heard it, but Wal-Mart is entering the online music downloads business. True to its roots, Wal-Mart is selling for less. Individual songs are 88 cents each which is 11 cents less than Apple's iTunes service.
We're certainly not the first to report this, but we want to call out how this affects your ability to play purchased music on your MP3 player. To prevent unlimited copying of download songs, Wal-Mart music files are protected by Microsoft's WMA v9 Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. From Wal-Mart's FAQ:
Can I transfer the music I download to a portable player?
Yes, you can as long as the player is able to play WMA files (note: iPods currently DO NOT play WMA files). Please refer to the documentation that came with your player to determine if it is compatible with WMA-format music.
Here is Microsoft's current list of MP3 players that support WMA9 and would be able to play songs purchased from Wal-Mart. If you have a supported player, this is how you transfer WMA9 songs to your device.