Digital Home Thoughts: My Inner Struggle with Microsoft, Linux, and DRM

"My observation of DRM: it's a necessary evil, but one that should be kept in check by the legislation. I'm by no means a lawyer or an expert on the subject, but consumers need representation in what seems to be a one-sided debate regarding how consumers can use and share the content they are willing to pay for. In my opinion, it's not acceptable for consumers to have different terms of use for content playback on particular platforms (case in point: digital music and video services who implement proprietary Apple and Microsoft based DRM technologies). In other words, we need an updated version, and a set standard, for "fair use" in the digital age that clearly states the rights of both consumers and producers in regard to DRM protected digital media. Furthermore, and this point is one you never hear brought up, is that any producer who releases digital media content embedded with DRM protection technologies for the general consumer market MUST have playback solutions available for ALL platforms"

I totally agree. DRM shouldn't be control by Apple or Microsoft (come to think of it, I wouldn't want RIAA to have a say either). If you really sat down and thought about the DRM EULAs, you would wonder why the heck you bother buying any downloadable tracks. I should be able to play any iTunes songs on any digital media player and I should be able to listen to a Napster subscription on Linux. There are no real consumer protections right now except competition and that doesn't seem to be really doing much.