Breaking News

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for May 2025 ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Strix OLED XG32U Series GIGABYTE AORUS MASTER 16 AI PC Wins COMPUTEX 2025 Best Choice Award addlink Virtual Showcase 2025: Explore what’s our next in storage SAMA Unveils New Gaming PC Hardware at COMPUTEX 2025

logo

  • Share Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • Home
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Essays
  • Forum
  • Legacy
  • About
    • Submit News

    • Contact Us
    • Privacy

    • Promotion
    • Advertise

    • RSS Feed
    • Site Map

Search form

Music industry rethinking CD copy protection

Music industry rethinking CD copy protection

General Interest Jan 9,2002 0

The music industry is having to rethink its drive towards copy-protecting music CDs, following people-power protests and probing questions from US politicians. BMG in Europe had launched two of its chart CDs, Natalie Imbruglia's White Lilies Island and Five's Greatest Hits, with copy protection technology but have now switched production to "clean" unprotected CDs, following consumer complaints. The discs were launched "clean" in Australia.

In the US, Universal's new compilation CD of Fast and Furious rock music is copy-protected but is clearly marked with consumer warnings, unlike previous discs. BMG released both their CDs with only a small print reference to "Cactus Data Shield" and no explanation that this meant it was copy-protected and might not play properly on computers and some CD players.

In a further development, Congressman Rick Boucher, has written to music industry trade bodies, the Recording Industry Association of America and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, to warn them that selling CDs that inhibit home recording may violate the 1992 Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA).

Blank media

Boucher, Co-Chair of the US Congressional Internet Caucus Committee, points out that the AHRA levies a royalty of two per cent on the price of recording equipment and three per cent on blank tapes and discs, to legitimise home recording. Preventing home recording through copy protection removes the justification for the AHRA levy.

Speaking for the IFPI and RIAA, Hilary Rosen, President and CEO of the RIAA, says the music companies are seeking "the right balance".

The UK is the only country in Europe where it is illegal to make a copy of a paid-for CD for personal use. Like the US, most major European states levy a royalty on recording media.

But lawyers for the IFPI's Head Office in London insist there is no link in European law between paying the royalty and being allowed to make a copy.

"Orchestrated campaign"

BMG spokesman Nigel Sweeney says that the Five CD produced only three complaints about copy protection and blames the larger number of Imbruglia complaints on an orchestrated campaign.

But he says: "No other copy-protected titles are planned. Everything has to be correct technology-wise."

Martin Dalgleish, of world-renowned British hifi company Linn, warns that getting copy-protection technology right is increasingly hard because consumer manufacturers often cannot get good quality CD drive components and use computer ROM drives instead - which can make copy-protected discs misbehave.

He says BMG's copy-protected discs are not standard CDs: "They change the rules in a totally unpredictable way. There is no published specification and therefore it is impossible for Linn or any other company to predict the playability of these discs."

Tags: Piracy
Previous Post
Alera Technologies DVD+RW Cruiser goes to Hollywood
Next Post
Recordable DVD Council welcomes 11 new members

Related Posts

  • Amazon Sues Online Stores Selling Pirated DVDs

  • Denuvo launches Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection

  • USTR Lists Amazon Websites in Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy Report

  • U.S. President Signs Executive Order to Prevent Sales of Imported Counterfeit Goods

  • Two Computer Programmers Plead Guilty to Operating Large Movie and Television Show Streaming Services

  • Ubisoft is Trying to Prevent Illegal Sales of Game Activation Codes

  • German Authorities Shut Down File-sharing Site

  • Youtube-mp3.org Site Shut Down

Latest News

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for May 2025
Gaming

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for May 2025

ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Strix OLED XG32U Series
Gaming

ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Strix OLED XG32U Series

GIGABYTE AORUS MASTER 16 AI PC Wins COMPUTEX 2025 Best Choice Award
Consumer Electronics

GIGABYTE AORUS MASTER 16 AI PC Wins COMPUTEX 2025 Best Choice Award

addlink Virtual Showcase 2025: Explore what’s our next in storage
Enterprise & IT

addlink Virtual Showcase 2025: Explore what’s our next in storage

SAMA Unveils New Gaming PC Hardware at COMPUTEX 2025
Cooling Systems

SAMA Unveils New Gaming PC Hardware at COMPUTEX 2025

Popular Reviews

be quiet! Light Loop 360mm

be quiet! Light Loop 360mm

be quiet! Dark Rock 5

be quiet! Dark Rock 5

be quiet! Dark Mount Keyboard

be quiet! Dark Mount Keyboard

G.skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 64GB CL30

G.skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 64GB CL30

Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 - 360

Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 - 360

Crucial Pro OC 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 White

Crucial Pro OC 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 White

Crucial T705 2TB NVME White

Crucial T705 2TB NVME White

be quiet! Light Base 600 LX

be quiet! Light Base 600 LX

Main menu

  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Essays
  • Forum
  • Legacy
  • About
    • Submit News

    • Contact Us
    • Privacy

    • Promotion
    • Advertise

    • RSS Feed
    • Site Map
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
  • Promotional Opportunities @ CdrInfo.com
  • Advertise on out site
  • Submit your News to our site
  • RSS Feed