Medialoper: Zune’s Big Innovation: Viral DRM
Microsoft has recently released its Zune DAP. One exciting feature is the ability to share all of your songs via wireless to your friends. There is a problem.
Medialoper: Zune’s Big Innovation: Viral DRM:
Unfortunately Zune’s wireless music sharing is turning out to be one of those features that seemed better when it was just a rumor. While Zune users will be able share music with friends, there’s a catch isn’t there always. As Jim noted earlier, recipients of shared songs will only be able to listen to them three times or for three days, whichever comes first. It sort of sounds like a really bad tire warranty.
This might make sense at first glance, but there is a problem. DRM is added to files that did not previously have it. More and more content is being licensed under the Creative Commons. (This blog’s content is licensed under the Creative Commons license.) To add DRM to a music file that has been released under the Creative Commons is a violation of the license.
It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.