Apple's Copy Protection Isn't the Problem

Apple's DRM has benefited the public and the music industry. It was Apple's technology platform that convinced the music industry to sell music and videos online. The iPod and its FairPlay DRM created a legal digital music market where none had existed before. While the iPod eco-system isn't without its problems, it's clear that Apple and its DRM have done some good.

Doctorow seems unwilling to concede that point in noting that FairPlay was hailed as "balanced." His use of quotation marks is consistent with his apparent position that no DRM is good. Still, he differentiates FairPlay from more restrictive systems backed by Sony, Toshiba, and Microsoft and grudgingly gives iTunes credit for winning over consumers. He even acknowledges that FairPlay can be circumvented:

Removing iTunes's DRM is pretty straightforward. It's time-consuming, but it's not too difficult.

How bad can Apple's DRM really be if it can be removed with relative ease? The answer is not very.

Like Doctorow, I dislike DRM. In fact, I own an iPod and all but two of the files on it are DRM-free MP3 files that I loaded from my collection of CDs. I've never purchased a song from the iTunes Music Store and I don't plan to.

I don't like DRM but I can tolerate it as long as it's optional. Really, a better term for Apple's FairPlay would be DCD -- digital copy deterrence -- but the world hardly needs another acronym.