Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Canadian music proposal would *require* DRM for online tunes


A proposal to the Canadian Copyright Board from Canadian music publishers for online music distribution contains a neglected clause that smuggles in a requirement for Canadian music services to use DRM:
The proposed tariff says that, as a condition of the licence, "an online music service shall use all technical and other means available to it to ensure that reproductions made by a user are exclusively for that user’s private use." Is this provision really what it appears to be: mandatory DRM for Canada's online music market?

Would the tariff require online music services to use TPMs? Would “other means” require strict end user licence agreements? What happens if a popular online music store like eMusic wanted to continue selling DRM-free music? Could they be sued? Could they negotiate a separate agreement, and even if so, would they be at a competitive disadvantage? Will consumers just have to accept DRM if they want to pay for music? If all or most online music services must use DRM, would that limit creators’ freedom to sell online music on their chosen terms? What would be the broader public policy implications of mandatory DRM?

If this stuff pisses you off, consider joining a group like
Online Rights Canada.

Link (via Michael Geist)



posted by Cory Doctorow at 08:37:21 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments

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