[DMCA-Activists] BMG Promises DRM on all CDs

[Seth Johnson]

(Forwarded from Boing Boing Blog.  Article text pasted
below.  -- Seth)

-------- Original Message --------
    Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 07:06:01 -0800
    From: "Cory Doctorow" <address@hidden>
      To: address@hidden


Bertellsman spokespeople are writing to European customers
promising them that they will soon stop shipping regular
CDs, flooding the market with copy-restricted discs that
can't be ripped, played in car stereos, DVD players or
computers. They argue that since "normal CD players" can't
rip or copy, that their discs ar still "CDs" that play in
"CD players."

Link: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/27960.html
Discuss: http://www.quicktopic.com/boing/H/8gQnAYjNd6k

--
Posted by Cory Doctorow to Boing Boing Blog at 11/6/2002
7:05:57 AM

----

> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/27960.html

'No more music CDs without copy protection,' claims BMG unit

By John Lettice
06/11/2002


Faced with adverse publicity to copy protection on CDs, a
year ago Bertelsmann Music Group bravely gave in and
promised to replace a clutch of Natalie Imbruglia CDs which
were protected by Midbar's Cactus Data Shield. But a year is
a long time, BMG is at it again, this time apparently set on
applying copy protection to all its music products. 

Not, of course, that this should be surprising. The music
companies are absolutely intent on copy-proofing their
products, and although they'll maybe retreat a little when
irate consumers pelt them with ordure, they'll be right back
just as soon as the heat dies down. And here's how this
process is working in BMG's case. 

A few weeks ago reader Simon Barber accidentally bought a
copy of Paradise Lost's Symbol of Life with Cactus Data
Shield on it. The CD was marked with the Compact Disc logo
(although Philips, custodian of this standard, has objected
to its use on copy-protected CDs) and also had a small print
'health warning' claiming the CD conformed to the Red Book
standard and was playable on standard home CD players. 

Being a troublemaker Simon didn't try to get his money back
from the retailer but attacked BMG directly. BMG's first
line of defence on copy protection is here, where you'll
find explanations, self justifications and a mail form for
all European territories. The UK version (and indeed the
French – that'll annoy them) says “BMG too sees itself
obliged to protect future releases by implementing a copy
control system” and “BMG will be using copy control
technology for digital media as has been used for a long
time with comparable media such as computer software, video
games and DVDs.” 

This is a clear commitment to 100 per cent copy protection,
and once implemented will no doubt ease the workload of the
various 'corrupt CD' identification sites considerably. Ah,
but what if you have a problem playing the CD? “If you can't
play the BMG product on your player please contact your
dealer or the responsible person at BMG under (email address
of the responsible person).” 

We're sure it makes more sense in German. If you fill in the
form and send it off to who knows where, this is what you
get from the BMG Kopierschutz Team (typos left in): 

“we are sorry you have troubles with our copy protection
technology. The copy protection reacts on the special new
technology that is build in in burners. Unfortunately htis
technics was built in many new CD players, even if they
can't copy a cd. 
“The copy protection yet does not recognize wheather that
burner technics is build in a cd player or in a burner.
That's why the cd playern might not play a copy protected
CD. Since burner technics are also built in car radios, this
may be the reason, why you can't listen to a copyprotected
cd in your car. 
“As far as we were adviced, our copy protection is according
to the Red Book Standart as well as all labelling on the cd. 
“A standart home CD player is one that has no burner
technics built in. Our Cds play on all Cd players without
burner technics. 
“There will be no cd manufactured without copyprotection any
more.” 

Kind of makes you wish you hadn't asked, doesn't it? Our
intrepid investigator, for the record, had asked about the
use of the Compact Disc logo, and for information about
where he could obtain “a disc that actually adheres to the
Red Book standard.” Picking apart the response, it would
seem that the boys in Kopierschutz hold that there's no
labelling problem, that it's all the fault of the dummies
who build the audio units, that the CD is fully Red Book
compliant, and that you can't get one without copy
protection. Indeed, in that last sentence they're claiming
you won't be able to get anything without copy protection. 

This is not strictly true – yet. We're told the US version
of Symbol of Life will be out, without protection, in a
couple of weeks, so the correct answer Kopierschutz
neglected to give is, take the dodgy one back to the shop
then buy the US version. 

But you can understand their difficulties. If BMG is seen as
experimenting on Europeans while leaving truculent Americans
for another day, it might be subject to a certain amount of
adverse publicity, and sales of the local market products
might just collapse. 

Cactus Data Shield producer Midbar, incidentally, announced
this week that it was merging with Macrovision, which also
said it was acquiring the copy protection assets of TTR
Technologies, which developed SafeAudio. So there's a trend
towards consolidation in the protection racket. If you've
read the BMG information page on copy protection, you'll
have noted that the company is evaluating schemes with
Sonopress. Sonopress publishes a handy comparison of these
technologies here. Sonopress is a division of Bertelsmann
Arvato AG. 

Related links: 
Campaign for Digital Rights 
Fat Chuck's Corrupt CD list