fsuk-manchester
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[Fsuk-manchester] [Fwd: [ORG-discuss] Real-world DRM woes]


From: Tim Dobson
Subject: [Fsuk-manchester] [Fwd: [ORG-discuss] Real-world DRM woes]
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:50:30 +0100
User-agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.14 (X11/20080505)

We rarely get to talk about Digital Restrictions Managements on here, however I felt this sad, but moving story really shows the failings of DRM to the light of day.
Has anyone else had or seen similar experiences?
Tim

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        [ORG-discuss] Real-world DRM woes
Date:   Sat, 31 May 2008 17:18:33 +0100
From:   Ben Griffiths <address@hidden>
To:     address@hidden

I want to share a DRM story.

I was in Curry's in Plymouth a couple of weeks ago. A man was arguing
loudly with one of the staff, his ten-year old daughter in tears at his
side. From what I could gather, she had saved up her pocket money to buy
an iTunes gift card - the songs she'd spent her money on, of course,
didn't work on her mp3 player. The man wanted a refund for what seemed
to him a defective product; the staff member said that if the card had
been used they couldn't give a refund. The young girl cried and cried
and cried.

The altercation went on for at least 15 minutes - the store manager
eventually having to call some security chaps to remove him, but not
before phoning the police.

So, whose fault was this?
  Currys for selling a card without making it clear that some songs
downloaded from iTunes wouldn't work on some (!) mp3 players?
  The girl for not understanding the complicated world of DRM?
  iTunes for selling DRM music?
  The record company for not selling DRM-free music?
  The government for not requiring labelling of DRM-crippled products?

Who knows - I'm pretty sure the only person clearly free of blame was
the little girl.

But, perhaps that's the wrong question - the end result was a stand-up
shouting match, someone manhandled out of a store, a staff-member
threatened and frightened, and a little girl in tears having spent her
pocket money on something that didn't work.

I thought it was worth sharing this since sometimes we can get bound up
thinking about piracy and digital distribution and so on, but these
small stories are often missed.

Ben

--
www.tdobson.net
----
If each of us have one object, and we exchange them, then each of us
still has one object.
If each of us have one idea, and we exchange them, then each of us now
has two ideas.   -  George Bernard Shaw




reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]