It seems record label Sony-BMG have once again put their foot in their mouth over Digital Rights Management.
Not content with stealth installs of their rootkit DRM software that leaves users' PCs vulnerable, they now hope to make it illegal to rip a CD. Yes, that’s right, the CD you paid for and own is not yours to transfer to your PC or iPod to enjoy on the move. Oh no, that would be stealing according to Sony-BMG chief laywer Jennifer Pariser.
As tech.co.uk report, Pariser was giving evidence in a US legal case involving Capitol Records v. Jammie Thomas where she stated: "When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song. [Making a copy of a purchased song is just] a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy'."
I’m sure the accountants at Sony-BMG are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of consumers having to pay again for a digital version of what we already own. Well, much as I'd hate to disappoint poor Ms Pariser and her accountant friends, there’s this small thing called the digital age that they might have noticed. The very concept of digital content is its versatility, flexibility and portability that allows us to enjoy it where, when and how we like. I would not buy music that only played in my car for example. Equally I would not buy a book or magazine I can only read in my house.
As a developer I can see the need to protect intellectual property from unauthorised exploitation or theft. However, this could have been achieved by a workable system of DRM, with appropriate licensing of portable copies for consumers who simply want to enjoy what they’ve paid for. The sad truth is that record labels where late to the digital party so now they’re screaming and stamping their feet in the corner when things don't go their way.
What the whole thing serves to highlight is the desperate need for new legislation to protect the rights of the consumer. In the US ‘fair use’ legislation has in the past been held up in defense of backup copies of digital media, but in the UK our legislation is woefully archaic. Wary of impeding private enterprise and seemingly unsure in technological matters, the UK government has failed to produce anything meaningful to address copyright in the digital age. With the Internet and new technologies driving the growth of portable, on-demand content this issue is too important to be left in the hands of big business. Sony-BMG will just have to forgive me if I don’t throw out my iPod just yet.
Nick Welch