DRM in MP3s

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Thomson offering lock for MP3 files
New format can limit duplication of songs
By Jon Healey
Times Staff Writer
Originally published March 1, 2004

LOS ANGELES -- When German audio engineers developed the MP3 format in the early 1990s, they unwittingly created the currency of online music piracy; song files that could be copied freely and downloaded swiftly.

Music fans embraced the format, but it was snubbed by record labels and online music services because there was no way to stop MP3s from being bootlegged.

Now Thomson, the French company that distributes MP3 technology, is trying to make amends to the music industry. It's adding electronic locks that a record label can use to limit the number of times a song can be duplicated onto CDs or portable devices.

Thomson, however, may have a tough time finding an audience for this version.

The online music market already is crowded with competing secure formats from Microsoft Corp., Apple Computer Inc., RealNetworks Inc. and Sony Corp. Their incompatibility gives record label executives heartburn, and Thomson's move adds a fifth format that doesn't work with any of the others.

Plus, songs encoded in the new format won't work on many older digital music players for which the original MP3 is the lingua franca.

Read more...

Isn't it just great when pretty much every media format is going to be digitally restricted?

 

[Nodsu]

Nah.. It's not like they're going to restrict MP3. They are just making a new format based on it. It will be a failure for sure

 

[Didou]

/me double clicks on ClickMe.mp3

"Please enter the security key provided with this mp3 upon purchase. You have 20 seconds to comply."

/me thinks " What security code ? I don't have a security code..."

"You now have 15 seconds to comply."

/me starts sweating & typing a bunch of letters & numbers randomly...

"Dear user, do not randomly type letters & numbers ( *cough*******cough* ). You now have 10 seconds to comply"

/me starts panicking...

"You now have 5 seconds to comply."

/me starts packing old vinyl records & goes to hide in a cave somewhere...

"Login in RIAA network. RIAA intervention team has been informed of your illegal activities. Your phone-lines are tapped, your bank accounts frozen & your every movement analysed. You are ours now."

:blackeye:

PS. Does anyone else feel like going back to the good old bloated WAV format ?

 

[Nodsu]

We have a much better modern bloated format called FLAC

 

[Godataloss]

You would of thought that with all the money the RIAA has been stealing from artists and consumers that they would of come up with a descent encryption scheme or business model to circumvent the deep doo doo they have fallen into. Really the only way that I can see them putting a dent into music piracy would be a cartridge based system a-la classic Nintendo.

 

[Didou]

You mean like 8-tracks ?

 

[Godataloss]

:approve: Exactly!:grinthumb

 

[lowman]

I can see people who put out music adopting the new "lockable" mp3 format - whther people will want anything in that format is a different story - but for posting on websites and stuff, it might have a chance...

 

[Rick]

What's going to be bad is these files will be indistinguishable by the average user from regular MP3s. It's going to pollute the world's MP3 music supply on sharing networks for sure.

It might be an annoyance, but they can't stop file sharing until they take away the Internet or find some way to track everyone, everywhere. If MP3 becomes useless, then a new format will arise.

They just don't get it.

 

[LNCPapa]

This reminds me of the DIVX set top boxes that were sold out of Circuit City so long ago. What a bad move.