Apple: muscling the small guys
p2pnet news view Open Source | P2P:- Apple’s music business operates in three parts, according to the Washington Post.
First there’s the hardware, an iPod or iPhone. Second, iTunes software on computers manages music on the hardware. Finally, there’s iTunes, which sells music.
The reality, of course, is, there’s little or no separation with iTunes as the user-funded online front end for the iPod, and the iPhone bringing up the rear.
However, iTunes can now justifiably claim to be the only significant corporate download service. But it isn’t a monopoly, “because there are hardware competitors such as Microsoft Corp’s Zune,” says the story, going on:
“Nonetheless, rivals and a technology rights group are concerned Apple is overly aggressive.”
Apple wouldn’t comment, “but its lawyer wrote a competitor and said the company is defending its rights under copyright law,” states the post, continuing Apple told bluwiki.com’s Sam Odio (right) to, “remove postings that talked about ways to work around a special Apple file, known as iTunesDB. Apple said copyright law prohibited such talk.”
“When a lawyer calls you up and implicitly threatens litigation that would bankrupt your little project you obviously have no choice but to comply,” the Washington Post has Odio, now represented by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) saying.
“This is a pure attack on interoperability,” says the EFF’s Fred von Lohmann in the post.
Until a year ago, “iPods worked well with many kinds of music software,” he says, then, “In October of last year, they added (software) which has no purpose other than to prevent applications other than iTunes from working.”
Court precedents make it clear others have a right to write software for iPods and iPhones, says Von Lohmann.
Not unless we say so, says Apple.
BluWiki, which runs under Gnu, is, “dedicated to helping you say something online,” it says.
“It uses wiki software to make it as easy as possible for anyone to put content on our site. This means Grandma can upload her cat photos, Dad can create an online book of recipes, and Mom can collaborate with co-workers. Yeah, it’s cool – but don’t take our word for it; create your own page and give BluWiki a spin. Oh, and it’s completely free.”
Not if Apple can help it.
Stay tuned.
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Washington Post – Apple may be chilling iTunes competition: critics, December 3, 2008
music sales – Atlantic records breaks digital sales barrier, November 25, 2008
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December 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
If you don’t want to use Apple software, don’t buy Apple hardware.
Hotel Applefornia…