Case in point:

Zune: Microsoft Developing Copyright Filter for Zune, Will Block Pirated Content

“In the long term, the consumer wants there to be quality premium-produced content, and in order for that to continue to be a viable business, there needs to be significant protection around it.” This is the same NBC that was working with AT&T to build a network-wide dragnet for pirated content, so color us totally not surprised. Just don’t know why Microsoft would agree to this and give people a reason to avoid Zunes (whether it’s a legitimate one or not), when they’re already way behind the iPod (which told NBC to take a flying hoo-ha).

Awesome article. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Why Apple is more expensive than Amazon

Buy what you like, where you like. But remember why things are the way they are. Apple is more expensive than Amazon because the labels want you listening to music on a Zune.

Why I almost never buy DRM’d content. System is broken’ded.

DRM sucks redux: Microsoft to nuke MSN Music DRM keys

MSN Entertainment and Video Services general manager Rob Bennett sent out an e-mail this afternoon to customers, advising them to make any and all authorizations or deauthorizations before August 31. “As of August 31, 2008, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers,” reads the e-mail seen by Ars. “You will need to obtain a license key for each of your songs downloaded from MSN Music on any new computer, and you must do so before August 31, 2008. If you attempt to transfer your songs to additional computers after August 31, 2008, those songs will not successfully play.”

NBC Wants Back on iPhone + More Money + Content Blocking

NBC is currently turning down $1.99 per 22-44 minutes of The Office or Battlestar Galactica. 2 bucks for content previously aired on FREE television, which can be easily, legally and much to their chagrin and previously failed efforts to block it taped or PVRd. Theyre turning down that EXTRA money because they want MORE of it, and they want iTunes to prevent you from, say, shifting that FREE content from your PVR or media center to your iPhone without paying MORE of that EXTRA money?

Dare I suggest the only reason the pirates exist is because of Big Medias greed and short sightedness. The minute they charge fair prices for fair use, given the low barrier of entry and elegance of use of iTunes interface, the piracy disappears for everyone but zealots. Never mind the marketing value of downloads alone — The Office being a prime example.

From ISPs to drive traffic? It’s the only sane reason I can think of for their otherwise business-ending-ly moronic decisions which do nothing but encourage bit torrent. Seriously.

Seriously.

DirecTV DVR clampdown: a sober reminder of DRM suckitudeDirecTV DVR owners got some bad news from the satellite TV provider recently when the company announced that it will break some of the existing functionality of the DVRs. Effective April 15, subscribers will only have 24 hours to watch pay-per-view movies recorded to their DVRs. Once the movies are purchased, the clock starts ticking, and after 24 hours, the PPV movie saved to your DVR will become nothing more than an unreadable collection of zeros and ones.