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Forbes gets DRM wrong.
This Forbes article loosely defines DRM and gets it wrong:
Other online music retailers say they're worried that following Apple's lead will confuse customers who may already be baffled by a crazy quilt of restrictions that envelop the industry. And on Wednesday, executives from major music companies speaking at an industry event said that getting rid of "digital rights management"--mediaspeak for rules that limit how many times users can copy music they've bought--isn't high on their agendas.
They should talk to the people who bought music for their Microsoft PlaysForSure-certified devices - since Microsoft's own Zune player won't play the music they paid for because it uses different DRM:
Microsoft's Zune will not play protected Windows Media Audio and Video purchased or "rented" from Napster 2.0, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Unlimited, Movielink, Cinemanow, or any other online media service. That's right -- the media that Microsoft promised would Play For Sure doesn't even play on Microsoft's own device. Buried in footnote 4 of its press release, Microsoft clearly states that "Zune software can import audio files in unprotected WMA, MP3, AAC; photos in JPEG; and videos in WMV, MPEG-4, H.264" -- protected WMA and WMV (not to mention iTunes DRMed AAC) are conspicuously absent.
So it isn't only how many copies you can make; it is your ability to even enjoy what you paid for at all. It is this absolute misunderstanding of DRM and its inherent problems that allows its continued existence.
Tip of the hat to Kuro5hin.
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