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After a spate of stories about new DRM schemes (did anyone notice that the new improved iTunes DRM was broken in about 8 hours after release?) it's interesting to cover some things from the other side of the fence. In Korea they don't just have ringtones, they've got whole MP3 phones. Without DRM schemes. So of course the industry is having a cow. They're now threatening to get a court to enjoin the sale of the phones. Do these people have a congenital defect that prevents them from seeing a new business opportunity when said opportunity is staring them in the face? Let's do an imagine. Here's what they said: "LG Telecom's MP3 cellular phone provides no protection against playing free copies of copyrighted songs, which is a threat not only to the music industry but to the mobile content industry as a whole. [...] We are considering every legal measure possible, including filing a provisional injunction against the sale of the MP3 handsets." Now imagine that he had instead said: "LG Telecom's MP3 cellular phone provides an opportunity to evaluate a potential new distribution marketplace. We are actively seeking deals with LG and other manufacturers to offer higher quality and premium products, such as concert discounts, special fan access to online material, and even live streaming transmissions." Why yes, I did used to write science fiction as a hobby. Also in the writing fiction category is 123 Copy DVD's latest release. The new software doesn't, per se, allow you to copy DVDs. At least, not out of the box it won't. For that you have to go to the company's Web site and download a patch. Which isn't, per se, hosted at the company's Web site. It's hosted at ANOTHER Web site. Note that 123 Copy isn't the same company as 321 Studios, which recently got spanked for its DVD copying software. 123 Copy claims its software is in compliance since it doesn't ship with DVD copying capability. Yeah, right. This will take approximately 12 seconds to get slapped with an injunction. http://macworld.co.uk |