As an owner of two squeezeboxes, I have an interest in the success of Logitech (new owner of Slim Devices). As such, I have concern about its recent tie-in with mp3tunes. I wonder whether Logitech has really thought out all the potential implications of this arrangement.
My intention by this post is to ask questions. I dont have the answers. I just hope that Logitech has covered its bases. In theory this new tie-in with mp3tunes is very convenient to have online storage but it opens a can of worms from a copyright standpoint. Just this past week legislation was introduced in Congress to protect net radio. We (Logitech and its squeezebox customers, among others) need the support and goodwill of the powers that be to support this entertainment medium. As such, the timing of the announcement of mp3tunes service on the squeezenetwork this same week has to raise some eyebrows to say the least as to whether this move was politically correct or may inadvertently alienate those needed to help net radio and give ammunition to the record industry. Google bought Youtube and now finds itself mired in very expensive lawsuits over copyright infringement. Google can afford to pay millions to its lawyers. Can Logitech if it were to face similar challenges? I know Logitech didnt buy mp3tunes but the tie-in might drag Logitech into similar issues. The quotes below are a year old but critical mass is only now starting to gain momentum. "Last time I launched a locker system called 'my.mp3' it triggered a hailstorm of lawsuits," Robertson wrote in an e-mail yesterday. "Hopefully we can avoid them this time, but you just can never tell with the music industry." http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20051201-9999-1b1mp3.html Will the United States' litigation economy kill Robertson's dream before it becomes a reality? Will Robertson's chest pounding and saber rattling provoke another major label pile on? These are all questions that need to be addressed before MP3tunes can become a profitable concern. The Future: The biggest problem for Robertson and MP3tunes/Sideload.com/Oboe, beyond branding, is that it stinks of piracy. The hiring of DVD-Jon coupled with Robetson's past only puts a big, fat bullseye on his back. Major labels still smarting from Robertson's cocky announcement that their business "was dead," are going to line up to kick him in the groin. What's going to happen is that Sideload will become a Peer-To-Peer (P2P) staging ground for users who want to illegally obtain copyrighted works. MP3tunes/Sideload.com/Oboe claims that they will remove any link to copyrighted works online, but in no way will they be able to keep up with the all files that are going to populate their chart, especially in outlaw nations like Russia. The RIAA will find it much easier to try and shut down MP3tunes/Sideload.com/Oboe instead of sending cease and desist letters to website owners and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). http://www.futuremusic.com/news/march2006/mp3tunesoboesideload.html Two software developers who have attracted lawsuits from media organisations are behind an online music service launching on Wednesday that seems certain to be scrutinised for copyright violations. Michael Robertson, once the founder of MP3.com, a music site sued for copyright infringements, will launch a digital locker on his MP3tunes.com website where users can store their record collections online. Mr Robertson last month recruited Jon Lech Johansen, a 22-year-old Norwegian programmer, to help with the project. Mr Johansen is known as DVD Jon for his hacking of DVDs, removing digital restrictions and allowing users to copy DVDs to their computer hard drive. He was tried and acquitted twice when no conclusive proof was found that his program caused illegal distribution of movies over the internet. DVD Jon has also reverse-engineered Apples iTunes software to remove copyright restrictions and his "So Sue Me" blog offers software that allows Apples Airport Express device to stream music in non-proprietary formats. http://www.sda-india.com/sda_india/psecom,id,29,news,8879,site_layout,sdaindia,.html?PHPSESSID=f5e4bd5494 -- mortslim ------------------------------------------------------------------------ mortslim's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=11039 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=34874
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