Steve Jobs comes out against copy-protection

Posted by aubin on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 4:00 PM (EST)

In a surprising open letter today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted a detailed essay explaining why Apple sells copy-protected music and more importantly, the benefits of removing the digital locks from purchased music. The revelation is particularly surprising since Apple's iTunes store currently dominates the digital download market and sells more than a billion DRM-protected songs a year.

Jobs explains that the only reason for DRM is to appease the big four music companies and Apple would embrace a DRM-free future "in a heartbeat." Apple even urges European countries to pressure the "two and a half" major labels headquartered in Europe (Universal/Vivendi, EMI and half of Sony BMG) to license their music to Apple and others without the digital locks that all major label's seem to require.

While many have publically questioned the value proposition of restricted music, no company as high profile as Apple have ever made statements like this against DRM.

You can check out the article here.

Games and Technology (72 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

cool?

CoD (February 6, 2007)

First.

Go Steve Jobs.

jumptheshark (February 6, 2007)

haha, i fucking love it when people think they are first and decide they need to point it out, but then someone else actually beat them to it, but didn't say "first."

CoD (February 6, 2007)

And it's usually because of that that the other person was first. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd have been first if I didn't type it.

JoshCBFL (February 6, 2007)

That's what you get for trying to be witty.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Are you really trying to defend why you would have been first. Take it somewhere else jock

Someone (February 6, 2007)

you're a moron.

CoD (February 6, 2007)

Big man, calling someone a moron without even the decency to sign up and let me know who you are.

JoshCBFL (February 6, 2007)

That's irrelevant. I have a username but you still don't know who I am.

IKnowNothing (February 9, 2007)

Touché

Someone (February 6, 2007)

You are a moron.

Someone (February 7, 2007)

You're a moron.

Ryan Gosling
327 Linden Walk apartment 3
Lexington, Ky, 40508

Someone (February 9, 2007)

the real moron is the one who give all his info on an unsecured site on the internet
Shit. thats stupid

Someone (February 9, 2007)

i hope you like anthrax!

freesandwich (February 6, 2007)

Steve Jobs is upping tha punx

baseball (February 6, 2007)

glad someone of influence is thinking logically through this instead of panicing like the major labels seem to be

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Whats funnier is that Bill Gates said it first.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Can you show a source for this? I want to stick it to my mac loving friend.

red_eye_inc (February 6, 2007)

Of course he's against it, look at that commie beard

spalmer (February 6, 2007)

Coffeshop Marxist if I've ever seen one

Someone (February 6, 2007)

that was funny ha!

Someone (February 6, 2007)

i love my powerbook, but man that iphone is going to suck. fuck cingular

ryannn (February 6, 2007)

yah i agree, the exclusive network is going to kill the iphone.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

if they offered ichat/aim for free and allowed 3rd party programs, it would be worth it. i love the wi-fi feature though.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

You mean Cingular, the new AT&T (shortened to AT&T by the end of the year)

Someone (February 6, 2007)

just one more reason steve jobs is the man

Someone (February 6, 2007)

thank you Steve Jobs....I think its pretty safe to say that no serious fan of music is a fan of DRM-protected songs

kingofsuck (February 6, 2007)

I don't see how anyone could be a fan of DRM-protected songs unless they think it's protecting their money.

grrargghh (February 6, 2007)

Now instead of just talking how about putting some real pressure on labels to release drm free music. Not that I would buy it anyway.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

i'd just stick to BCDC++ anyway...but still, someone like Steve Jobs is actually in a position powerful enough to maybe get the wheels of change turning

SuperRad (February 6, 2007)

This is a man America can trust. Jobs in '08.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Good for him. I'm glad he explained the only reason iTunes uses DRM is because of the companies. Perhaps one day he can use his money to buy me a new bike.
-Dante

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Maybe you should sell your Wii

ilikepunkrock (February 6, 2007)

who cares, if you like a band you should buy their music (not from itunes). Also who the fuck cares about big labels, music is getting to be more and more DIY. And Ipods are not cool, they hurt the music industry.

BTown (February 6, 2007)

How do iPods hurt the music industry?

ilikepunkrock (February 6, 2007)

People download music to get it onto their computer which in turn gets it on their Ipod instead of buying records and CD's. I know there are some people out there that do only buy CD's and then put them onto their Ipod but I am guessing the percentage isn't all that high.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

ipods do not hurt the music industry, they help it tenfold. It provides a user to carry practically unlimited amounts of music with them at anytime. It is the illegal downloading/file-sharing that is hurting the music industry. The same is happening to DVDs/the movie industry.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

that argument is pretty redundant in the UK where the last two years album sales have been higher than they have in years. not sure about US album sales, but i doubt it's too different.

mikelagglesby (February 6, 2007)

it is hurting the major labels but it is helping indies. indie sales are higher than they've ever been.

SuperRad (February 6, 2007)

It's called progress.

clampdown17 (February 6, 2007)

Having an iPod is all about convenience for me. I still buy most of the music I listen to in CD form, and I generally only download stuff illegally when it's really hard to find or if I'm sampling something new to me.

The only part of my music consumption that really stands to hurt the industry is album leaks. If I download something that I otherwise would have bought the day it comes out there is a chance I could decide I don't like it enough to justify paying for it.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Agreed, and this has to do will illegal file-sharing and the internet, NOT the iPod. People do not leak an album because they own an ipod.

Rocktopus (February 6, 2007)

I have a Creative Zen..Its rad.

skaboom (February 6, 2007)

Yeah, he's kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, saying DRM is bad when your product uses it, and is the biggest seller of online music on the entire internet is kind of hypocritical. He could tell the majors to suck it, and only agree to sell music by them if the songs aren't protected. If the labels refused, it would cut a huge blow to digital sales of their albums.

On the other hand, while iTunes is the clear #1 digital music retailer, it could lose that position if the majors refused to work with it, and instead partnered with, say, whatever interface Microsoft uses.

frostbrewliner (February 6, 2007)

Fuck it, I dont care how annoying those commercials are, im getting a Mac.

88-fingers-tony (February 6, 2007)

steve jobs should have produced the lifetime album.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Awesome. I just got my first Mac ever today.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Ha, sucker.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

It'a pointless anyway because you can just burn the cd and then rip the songs off it

throw_aways (February 6, 2007)

no you can't. you only get 5 burns per purchased song, and when you rip them and try to listen they ask you for the password from the other person's computer.

and that's rad of steve jobs

ConsolationPrizefighter (February 6, 2007)

I've been making audio discs out of .m4p iTunes files and ripping them into mp3's with no problems.

And we need the jHymn project to get its ass in gear and be able to decode this version's m4p's again or something.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

No, if you burn an audio disc of the songs you can then rip this CD and share/transfer as much as you want between PCs. Takes a bit extra work, but essentially completely nullifies DRM

Someone (February 6, 2007)

You're wrong man. You get an unlimited number of cd burns. And when you rip from that cd, the drm is gone.

JoshCBFL (February 6, 2007)

Yeah. You're wrong.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

you're fucking wrong, man

Cos (February 6, 2007)

Wow. You sure this wasn't someone hacking into the Apple website? What major label is going to renew its license with Apple now? Like they weren't looking for a way out already...

SuperRad (February 6, 2007)

Why would they leave?

Someone (February 6, 2007)

European countries are threatening to shut down itunes stores because of the copy protection, so he coul lose the stores if he doesn't do something about it.

PatrickEwing (February 6, 2007)

Fuck Apple and the art queers that use them

Creative Zen M>>>>>>>>>>>Video Ipod

Someone (February 6, 2007)

Cowon iAudio X5L > Creative

Sharpen up little brother

-JREwing is fucking dead

nothing (February 6, 2007)

I was about to say the same thing! I've had a Creative, iPod, and a Cowon (among others) and my Cowon A2 definitely beats all of them. It's the most kickass mp3 player I've ever had and even has speakers so I can rock out in the shower. COWON FOREVER.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

I understand how lame DRM is, but it is much easier said by a man who makes all his money on the iPod and not on itunes downloads/cd sales.

Someone (February 6, 2007)

This is a PR-stunt as good as any, and I think they're going to secure a few extra "im-a-punk-and-i-fight-the-fucking-system-by-supporting-companie s-with-the-right-attitudes" punk-posers and other ignorant hipsters. I've never understood the point of buying mp3s anyway. You can most of the times buy the cd or lp for the same or lower price, and then have the right to download anyway.

kennyh_2004 (February 6, 2007)

Thank you for pointing this out. Beat me to it.

NRO826 (February 7, 2007)

Not only is he appeasing the punk poseurs and hipsters but hes making anyone out there who doesn't want to be limited by DRM think of him as being on their side. He's the CEO fighting for the everyman. Unfortunately, the truth will only come out when the big music labels finally agree to drop DRM and the iTunes Music Store still uses it, citing some other cause making them use it.

justahippie (February 6, 2007)

I love me some Steve Jobs. Rumor is dude was (and still is) a total hippie. Hippie's rule man.

andreatobrazil (February 7, 2007)

"Steve Jobs comes out" is a much better title.

SteveJonesTheRealBones (February 7, 2007)

watch out dot orgers! its a trap!

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

Someone (February 7, 2007)

Good.....

A shame this bitch doesnt care about the environement

Someone (February 7, 2007)

Why are so many MAC owners i know such pretentious assholes, yeah make doesn't get viruses, WE GET IT.

Someone (February 7, 2007)

*Mac fuck bad typo.