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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Apple close to licensing FairPlay?

Ars Technica: "Is Apple is about to license its FairPlay DRM technology to Macrovision, the creators of copy-protection software used in music CDs distributed primarily in Europe? According to documentation released with a beta version of its upcoming CDS-300 DRM software, iTunes and iPod support will be forthcoming in the fourth quarter of 2004. This has led some to believe that Macrovision has reached an agreement with Apple or anticipates doing so in the not-too-distant future ... Apple has proven supremely reluctant to license FairPlay thus far, especially to competing online music stores. While RealNetworks cracked FairPlay in late July (with Apple responding angrily days later), RealNetwork's Harmony is so far the only way to get DRMed music to play on an iPod. Macrovision may be banking on Apple's desire to have FairPlay become the dominant DRM tool for the music industry, but they also need the ability for their CD copy protection software to play nicely with the iPod and iTunes to make its software more compelling to the music labels."

Don't read this expecting answers. The question mark in the title, sadly, continues throughout the rest of the article as well.

[ Posted at 8:58 AM | Permalink ]