inky:
Via Simon Willison.
An inventory of Apple’s remaining DRM armory makes it vividly clear that DRM (backed by the DMCA) is almost always about eliminating legitimate competition, hobbling interoperability, and creating de facto technology monopolies:
- Apple uses DRM to lock iPhones to AT&T and Apple’s iTunes App Store;
- Apple uses DRM to prevent recent iPods from syncing with software other than iTunes (Apple claims it violates the DMCA to reverse engineer the hashing mechanism);
- Apple claims that it uses DRM to prevent OS X from loading on generic Intel machines;
- Apple’s new Macbooks feature DRM-laden video ports that only output certain content to “approved” displays;.
- Apple requires iPod accessory vendors to use a licensed “authentication chip” in order to make accessories to access certain features on newer iPods and iPhones;
- The iTunes Store will still lock down movies and TV programs with FairPlay DRM;
- Audiobook files purchased through the iTunes Store will still be crippled by Audible’s DRM restrictions.
The majority of these DRM efforts do not have even an arguable relation to “piracy.” And even where things like movies and audiobooks are concerned, DRM is not only futile, but will likely be counter-productive, making the “legitimate” alternative less attractive than the Darknet options.
