CNM Editorial

Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs is clearly a man who’s tired of being in the hot seat over digital rights management (DRM).In a manifesto titled "Thoughts on Music" posted on Apple’s site on February 6, Jobs points the finger squarely at the music industry for the proprietary nature of its Fairplay DRM system. "Since Apple does not own or control any music itself, it must license the rights to distribute music from others, primarily the ‘big four’ music companies," Jobs writes. In order to secure those rights, he continues, Apple had to grant assurances that content would be locked down with DRM. Thus, Apple’s Fairplay content protection system – which limits use on portable devices to only those made by Apple – was born.In order to uphold its end of the bargain with record companies, Jobs says, Apple had to keep the inner workings of Fairplay secret so it can quickly root out vulnerabilities and fix them. In the February 6 missive, however, Jobs says he’d just as soon operate in a DRM-free world: "Perhaps those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free…Apple will embrace this wholeheartedly."Jobs’ stance on DRM seems somewhat contradictory, especially after he called a French law mandating the opening-up of DRM "state-sponsored piracy" (see former CNM editor Jeff Leiper’s Newsmaker). And Apple’s reticence to licence Fairplay to third-party device manufacturers may have more to do with protecting its "top-to-bottom" provisioning of hardware, software and content than it does with mollifying record labels.However, if the world’s largest online retailer of digital music downloads sees problems with DRM, something’s amiss. And, it’s something to keep in mind when Canada decides DRM’s treatment in an amended Copyright Act.James LewisEditor

CNM Editorial

Broadcast | February 7, 2007

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