In light of the EA Maxis' Spore going gold, concern once again has hit the PC gaming segment over the definite inclusion of digital rights management (DRM) software with each copy. Many have argued over the integration of SecuROM on executables of The Sims 2 and its expansions, and now that Spore producer Lucy Bradshaw has confirmed Spore will be succeeded by at least one expansion, there's a whole lot of bickering to come for PC gamers. More details at the full story.

Instead of going against the flow that iTunes has set up over the past few years, RealNetworks' Rhapsody has decided to take a different approach to compete against Apple's leading digital music distribution service - by embracing the iPod's MP3 format. Find out what Rhapsody's new "Music Without Limits" strategy is all about by reading our full article after the jump.

Reading Apple's first Q&A in the iTunes Movie Rentals FAQ should have been the end of it really, but as many customers have mused, why would a later generation iPod classic be deprived of an iTunes service? A complaint at Apple's support forums has many iPod owners puzzled, if not skeptic, at how a later model of Apple's iPod couldn't avail of a staple third generation iPod nano service, but some believe the service won't work due to hardware and DRM limitations.

Following Steve Jobs' announcement of an iTunes song price cut on The Wall Street Journal Online, Apple has dropped the price of all iTunes Plus songs (those without any digital rights management) from US$ 1.29 to US$ 0.99 for U.S customers. It was also announced that Apple will be beefing up their selection of songs by adding more independent music labels to iTunes Plus.

While Jobs didn't explain why Apple is dropping iTunes Plus songs' prices, rumor has it that this price drop and the addition of new indie labels is Apple's response to Amazon's DRM free music download store.

This move could further solidify iTunes' reputation as the 3rd largest music retailer in the U.S. We'll have to wait and see if Steve Jobs' current actions will generate more consumer interest.

Not content with just selling movies and music online, Apple is now engaged in talks with major movie studios about renting movies for a paltry amount of US$ 2.99 for a 30-day rental period.

This may be a challenge toward existing cable and satellite TV companies, most of them offering Video-on-Demand (VOD) which lets people download movies into their cable box or gain access to premium programs.

This move may prove to be advantageous to Apple, who already sells films through distribution deals with Walt Disney as well as Paramount. Other entertainment moguls are hesitant to make deals with Apple simply because of fear that online distribution may hurt optical media sales.

But because of the 30-day limit made possible by the Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, DVD sales will unlikely get affected by Apple's proposed download-to-rent format, purportedly to be launched in autumn.

A studio executive has acknowledged that Apple's plan would most likely "compete against cable companies and anyone else offering VOD into the home". VOD and similar formats have already become a staple for the cable TV industry such as Comcast, DISH Network, and TiVo. Apple's edge over them, however, is that it has a larger customer base.

Currently, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and Disney have no comments regarding this issue, though the inside buzz have studios getting inwardly excited with Apple dabbling in the VOD market. Says one studio executive, "When you think about Apple customers they are so connected to the brand they will try anything to do with it."

We can drop the question mark now. EMI releases word via its press office that it IS dropping digital rights management (DRM) protocols on "premium downloads" of its music tracks. No DRM = full interoperability across all music platforms, so as long as it can play the file format.

Here's the kicker: making the joint announcement with EMI, Apple says that iTunes will be the first to retail EMI's premium downloads. They also announce that these premium AAC-format tracks at twice the quality of existing downloads, and with the DRM removed, at only US$ 1.29/� 1.29/£ 0.99 on iTunes. Their regular-quality counterparts, still with DRM, will retail for the standard US$ 0.99/� 0.99/£ 0.79. Customers who already have the standard-quality tracks can upgrade to the double-quality DRM-free version for US$ 0.30/� 0.30/£ 0.30. EMI music videos will also be DRM free - no change in price!

There's the shock, ain't it? Pay a higher price for the DRM-free? Of course, at twice the quality of the regular download, it's both a larger file and certainly a premium, which would justify the higher price; we can't exactly envision the higher price as a "disincentive" to DRM-free files with that kind of setup. Or perhaps it's a cautious step by EMI - seeing how the market reacts to this.

Still, EMI expects that customers will flock to the new premium downloads - both for the higher quality and the full interoperability of the files. They've been tinkering with DRM-free tracks since the end of last year, the PR notes. On the other hand, EMI will continue to use DRM in other models of digital distribution, such as subscription-based models, super-distribution (file-sharing with friends - think Zune), and time-limited downloads (such as those subsidized by ads).

Giant record firm EMI has apparently decided to make a bold move and release some of its copyrighted material in digital form without the protection of Digital Rights Management (DRM) software.

Digital rights first came to mass scrutiny almost a decade ago when peer-to-peer music sharing site Napster rose to popularity and got too big to hide from music companies and celebrities alike. With the dawning of the iPod dynasty, Apple came up with the iTunes music store that had content embedded with anti-copy code.

Critics of DRM say that the policy constricts the market and does not make for a more dynamic market where the small fry of the music scene can show the world what they've got. Proponents of DRM, on the other hand, say that their policy protects the artists and upholds intellectual property and copyright laws.

The rationale behind EMI's move is yet to be revealed, but it may very well be that a more selective DRM policy can be used to breed the break-out of unknown talents while preserving the interest of established record artists to give them what's due.

Industry insiders claim that within the month, EMI should hold a mews conference in London in cooperation with the Apple corporation to announce the move.

Steve Jobs' anti-DRM statements have apparently scared movie and recording studios. DRM, or Digital Rights Management refers to control of access of copyright owners  to associated  digital works and devices; something that Apple and even Microsoft could eliminate in putting up an online music store within reach for anyone.

Recently, an elite group comprising of the world's largest recording and movie studios, Coral Consortium, has released an open letter to Steve Jobs saying "We have been wrestling with the issues around interoperability for some years and have concluded that it is not so much a technology problem as a business problem."

DRM has been an issue of technology, it would seem, until some up-and-coming bands and artists who weren't able to earn themselves a recording deal from any of the major recording companies were finally able to sell their songs through iTunes. Recording companies insist that DRM-protected downloads are still better than those that are not, that if your music or movies for sale are readily available on the internet, they're not very valuable, consumer-wise.

Recording and movie companies are surely facing tough competition. For sure, downloading DRM-free MP3s now is a business issue rather than one of technology; and the business issue is appearing to be bested by the techie companies already.

 

What might be interpreted by some as cracks in Fortress iTunes, others (more partial to Apple) will rather see it as an expansion of the fortress walls. Tech.co.uk's got a small hare running that Apple might somewhat lift its FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions that lock iTunes content to Apple products - e.g., the iPod. Let's just say that wasn't well-appreciated by some quarters who held that the Digital Rights were more like Digital "Restrictions."

The word - still a rumor until the official press release from Cupertino - is that downloaded iTunes content will be made available to partners in Apple's "Made for iPod" program. The FairPlay DRM will be licensed to partners, with the envisioned scenario that their products will be able to upload and play FairPlay-protected content. In addition, another expected announcement is that Apple will open up AAC content streaming via USB. The other word is that this is to undercut the potential for the competition to drift to Zune and its own DRM and digital distribution system, by using iTunes as bait. Quite the bait, though.

The Zune isn't exactly the iPod killer yet (even then the jury has yet to be formed, much less to pass judgement), and Apple enjoys quite the comfortable lead in both hardware and software departments of digital media distribution. Still, if it's willing to open up, and release iPhone and Apple TV, all in the same month, it may be a signal to allies and competitors (and investors) alike: Apple ain't quiting the fight yet. And don't forget who bootstrapped this entire thing to the level it's at today. Them's fighting words.

The New York Times posted an interesting bit of news today. In France, a small group of people were trying to get themselves prosecuted for a crime they apparently did commit. The crime: playing music bought on iTunes on something that isn't made by iPod.

The protest was done by members of StopDRM, a group of computer users concerned with the growing restrictions on legally-purchased media. It was their attempt to point out just how unruly digital rights management (DRM) laws and measures can be.

They claim that the problem with digital controls and protection measures to stop piracy is that it also seems to lead to overt control of  the systems of digital media. "They say the law is intended to stop piracy, but I am not a pirate," said Jerome Martinez, one of the lead protesters in this unusual event. "I support artists with legally purchased works, but I do not want to be forced to use a particular device to play them."

That's a valid point. You have to wonder how we'll be able to choose how we play our music. Unlike earlier periods in technology, when there were fewer avenues for playing movies and music, the 21st century's given way to more freedom because of the fluidity of the digital medium. The issue now is in enforcing certain protection measures without limiting the choices into a monopoly (or a ZenZunePodocracy).

The police in the story were unsure in how they were to deal with the issue, but the message is clear. Changes need to be made in digital rights management so that we can better distinguish between what should be all right and what is certainly wrong.