Tag Archives: drm-free

We’re all kinda fine with DRM now

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Digital Rights Management. The phrase alone, or just its abbreviation, DRM, once had the power to spark scathing editorials and spawn furious debates in online forums worldwide. In the 2000s, major PC video game publishers began adding software to th...

Louis CK to offer HBO show as DRM-free download, chip away at cable content deals

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Louis CK to offer HBO show as DRMfree download, chip away at cable exclusivity

With certain exceptions, HBO has developed a reputation for being protective of where and how its content goes digital. That makes Louis CK's plans for a 2013 comedy special a slight jolt to the system, even though it's not his first digital release linked to the channel. While HBO will get a first crack at airing the show, which will be recorded during Louis' ongoing tour, the comedian now plans to post the production online a few months afterwards using the same successful formula that has become his calling card: $5, no DRM and no region restrictions. The offering doesn't overhaul the industry, but it undoubtedly wrests control from the network as soon as the download link goes live. Think of Louis as making a small crack in cable TV's content wall.

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Louis CK to offer HBO show as DRM-free download, chip away at cable content deals originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPod owners notified of RealNetworks-related lawsuit’s class action status, given chance to cash in (updated: not Real)

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Remember the 2005 lawsuit over Apple's effort to keep RealNetworks' Harmony DRM off of the iPod, calling the countermeasures an abuse that locked customers into Apple's FairPlay copy protection and the iTunes Store? You're forgiven if you don't -- the complaint was filed in 2005. Even with iTunes having gone primarily DRM-free over three years ago, though, owners of iPods bought between September 12th, 2006 and March 31st, 2009 are just now getting notices that they qualify for a slice of any damages if they register and Rhapsody's former owner the class action group wins in court. Of course, there's no guarantee that RealNetworks former Rhapsody users will win and get you music money to feed your iPod, iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod touch, but unless you're planning to sue Apple yourself, there's no penalty for a legitimate claim.

Update: RealNetworks has chipped in to let us know that it's "not involved in any way" with the lawsuit, which is actually an independent complaint centered around the Rhapsody users themselves. RealNetworks hasn't embroiled itself in a legal fight with Apple to date.

iPod owners notified of RealNetworks-related lawsuit's class action status, given chance to cash in (updated: not Real) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  sourceApple iPod iTunes Antitrust Litigation  | Email this | Comments

Sci-fi publisher announces Tor and Forge will go DRM-free with all e-book titles

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Sci-fi publisher announces Tor and Forge to go DRM-free with all e-book titles

Science fiction is often said to foresee the future, and today, that news couldn't ring more true. Tom Doherty Associates, a subsidiary of Macmillan and publisher of popular sci-fi and fantasy brands such as Tor and Forge, today announced that as of early July, all of its current e-books will be distributed without DRM restrictions. The company's president, Tom Doherty, revealed the shift as a long-time request of both its readers and authors -- which unsurprisingly, are a rather tech-savvy bunch. In addition to the move affecting all of Doherty's current sales channels, the move will allow the publisher to seek out independent e-book dealers that sell only DRM-free titles. While the move is unlikely to extend to the rest of Macmillan's properties anytime soon, just leave it to the sci-fi community to show others the way forward. Perhaps the future isn't gonna be so scary after all.

Sci-fi publisher announces Tor and Forge will go DRM-free with all e-book titles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Boing Boing, paidContent  |  sourceTor Books  | Email this | Comments

7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase

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7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase
In news that can be filed under "better late than never," 7digital has finally brought its impressive music store to the Windows Phone platform. The company has previously promised a January arrival for its eponymous app, which now offers 18 million song tracks for sale. As you'd expect, it offers shoppers with 30 second previews of each track, and purchased music will automatically sync to one's mobile device. The Windows Phone version of 7digital now joins its Android, BlackBerry and iOS counterparts, but unique to this release is a Metro interface and support for Live Tiles -- which allows users to pin their favorite artists, tracks and albums to the home screen. Shoppers will discover a variable pricing scheme for the DRM-free music, where the majority of albums sell between $5 and $12. Inquiring minds will find the full PR after the break.

Continue reading 7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase

7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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