James Delahunty
29 Jan 2006 18:16
On January 10th, Paris District court ruled against the use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) mechanisms on Warner Music's Testify CD from Phil Collins. Warner Music will have to pay €59.50 in remedies for the plaintiff's damages, and a punitive fine of €5000. The court banned the "use Digital Rights Management systems on the Phil Collins' Testify CD as long as they block users from copying on any media of their choice". The decision was praised by consumer groups.
On group in particular was the famous French Consumer Association UFC-Que Choisir, which has been very active in the fight against digital rights management. While DRM's main priority is to stop music tracks from being shared on the Internet, it also causes problems for consumers. These restrictions often get in the way of users transferring music onto portable devices of their choice.
DRM would be best kept off audio CDs, as the main source of pirated music files on the Internet is semi-professional groups. If an anticipated album leaks online, within a few days it would be so widespread, it would be impossible to stop unauthorised distribution. So does DRM on CDs really have any positive effect for the music industry, or consumers?
Source:
Audionautes