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PLAY IT THIS F ORTNIGHT
pple ('omputer is a tamouxl_\ liligiottx company It
brings out the la\\_\er\ whenex er a competitor \o mueh
ax llllllk’\ ol' Using the ‘i-‘ preli\ or 'rrl’od‘ \ul'lix on a pieee ol' kit. and w a\e\ w ritx at wehxitex whieh dare to speculate on the eompan} \ plans l‘or l'uture products.
Recentl}. the tables hax‘e heen turned and Apple has l'ound itsell‘ under lire on two lronts. ln l’ranee legislation has been passed. though not yet made law. seeking to limit Apple\ dominanee ol‘ the legal moxie download market. .\leanwhile. here in the l'K. Apple (‘orpx the reeord lahel l'ounded h} the Beatles in l‘)ot\' is suing Apple (‘omputeiz tor the third time. over trademark inli‘ingement.
Both eases arguahl} eentre on the same thing: Apple‘s digital rights management ll)R.\l). In plain linglixh this meam that when )ou hu} a song lrom the i'l'unex .\lu\ie Store (HMS). there are limits placed on what _\ou can do with ll. 'l'hankx to Apple‘s DRM .\_\ stem ironieth named l‘airl’la} )otr can only play your file on the
registered computers. and _\ou can’t play it on an} old portable music pla} er. either. just mt- il’od. HAVE FAR.
'l‘he pending French legislation » whieh also ltttx implications l‘or other companies in the DRM game. notably Microsolt and Son} is designed to eunail Apt)ch near-monopol} o\er legal lllllle‘ downloads by allowing ll\Cl'\ to pla_\ lilex lrom eompeting download serxieex that the their own l)R.\l \} \[Clllx on the il’od. and letting them p|a_\ i'l'NlS thl\\llltl;ltl\ on eompeling muxie pla}er\. Apple hax e damned liranee‘x rather reasonahle assertion that eonsumerx should he allowed to do w hale\ er the} darn well please with whateVer the} hu) it\ loxtering a ‘xtater sponsored eulture ol' pirae} ‘. 'l'hix l\ despite the laet that Apple helieVe remming l)R.\l lront their downloads would aetualh increase il’od \ulex. 'l‘heir eoneern is that llltlle‘ \illC\ would plummet without proteetion against l'ree coming in plaee. ()lwiousl} their business is haxed on the relationship between R ? hardware and sol'tware. in much the same wa} that pl‘llllc‘l‘x and
O . gaming consoles are sold on the eheap. with pt‘olilx holstered
by expenxix‘e ink cartridges and games. Should the l-reneh law
Jack Mottram investigates the current legal diSputes involving he passed. Apple's likel} solution would he to eeaxe trading in Apple and iTuneS and looks at the profound effect it might lr‘rane‘e "a market which aeeountx tor a tin} [wreentage olxthe
, thlS hillion song \ttle\ hut. with Denmark UllhltlL‘llllg eventually have on the musrc download market. similar legislation. the ptmmm; ol' the liuropean t'mtm
reconsidering its position on l)R.\l looms.
The ease of Apple \ Apple is rather more complex (partly due WI I I to the laet that it‘s impossiblc to explain without incessantl} .... ._ _ _ _, 7 , H _ ,_ _V V repeating the word 'apple‘) and has a long histon dating hack It’s all in the DRM. That‘s Digital Rights Management. Apple Computer’s DRM system to l978. In that war. Apple (‘orps \llcd Apple ('omputer mer- i ' ” ' " ‘ ““““ “ ’ ‘ " ' ‘ ’ their the ol’the Apple name. and won. l’oreing Apple ('omputer IS called FaIrPla a . .. . . .~ .
y ~ to add 580.000 to the eotlers ol the lab l'out‘. along with an from tTunes on your PM, but nOt on any other MP3 player. agreement to steer well clear of the mUsie business. Then in Nb") Apple (’omputer unveiled the Apple “US. a l’(' with a
’ 'Xq.’ ‘ ‘ '.',:. ’x x THE LIST 99
‘ it’s the software which allows you to play music you’ve bought