More DRM Stupidity

BoingBoing posted an article yesterday describing how EMI has released a CD in Brazil that contains DRM malware which installs regardless of whether you agree to it, and has no uninstaller option.

Confusingly, the posting also states the DRM “blocks you from playing the CD on Linux and MacOS, and from loading it onto an iPod.” I don’t see how a Windoze DRM application would prevent me using the CD on Linux or MacOS (I’d love to hear from somebody who has tried this). I can see how it would block a Windoze user though, and that is another demonstration of just how out of touch with the reality of the way people listen to music the music companies have become. People don’t want to carry larger devices and stacks of CDs around to listen to their music. They want to transfer the content from their CDs to the small device of their choice, and listen that way. Also, given the Sony DRM incident, I wouldn’t trust any DRM software from a music company, and especially not one that installs itself even if you ask it not to.

Thanks to the Daily Irrelevant for the pointer to this article.

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