Sunncomm’s latest DRM idea
p2pnet.net News:- “SunnComm prepares to launch its latest state-of-the-art version of MediaMax audio CD copy management and enhancement technology featuring ahead-of-the-curve SecureBurn and On-the-Fly Technology.”
Whoa! Ahead-of-the-curve SecureBurn and On-the-Fly Technology, eh?
That’s what SunnComm says in a puff release, although its product hasn’t exactly distinguished itself so far.
In June, BMG said it was using Sunncomm MediaMax technology to protect Velvet Revolver’s Contraband against “unauthorized duplication”.
Contraband was, and still is, all over the p2p networks.
Before that, Anthony Hamilton’s $14 BMG CD Comin’ From Where I’m From went out under MediaMax protection.
There are no prizes for what happened and Princeton University’s John Halderman found Sunncomm technology could be by-passed if people simply held down the shift key while inserting the CD.
Sunncomm almost tried to sue Halderman, but wisely changed its mind.
“So far this year, MediaMax has been incorporated on numerous commercial releases that have included gold records (500,000 sold CD units), platinum records (1,000,000 sold CD units) and an album that reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200 in its first week of release,” says Sunncomm.
The number one album it refers to is Contraband which also demonstrated how effective Sunncomm protection really is.
Nonetheless, “With our newest version of MediaMax, the original music tracks on the CD are automatically converted to a protected format ‘on the fly’ when the consumer chooses to copy them over to his PC,” says the company.
In the meanwhile, their destruction of 321 Studios notwithstanding, the Big Four record cartel members seem to be backing away from their ‘copying is Absolutely Forbidden’ stance.
“Record labels are seeking a way to let consumers make a limited number of copies of their music – enough for a car, a vacation home and a friend, for example – without allowing for uncontrolled duplication,” says a CNET story here. “Under the current system, each copied CD can itself lead to an unlimited number of additional copies, cutting substantially into sales, they say.”
Stay tuned.
August 21st, 2004 at 6:58 pm
“Record labels are seeking a way to let consumers make a limited number of copies of their music – enough for a car, a vacation home and a friend, for example – without allowing for uncontrolled duplication,”
“A FRIEND”??? This is what they said should be a Class-A Felony though, they’re finally giving in somewhat after learning they cant fight it. They basically just contradicted themselves, into saying “Without allowing for uncontrolled duplication” YET want to allow us to make copies for the car, a vacation home AND a friend?? Id say if i can make a copy for a friend and a car, that pretty much falls into “uncontrolled duplication”. These guys at the RIAA are just idiots, lol. Where did they go to college to think up these business practices??
August 22nd, 2004 at 5:06 pm
I have a plan that will stop all unathorized digital copying of CDs: Stop making them. Stop making cassettes as well, but they are such a small portion of the market anyway. Go back to vinyl. You have a medium that can still be copied. But the brilliant part is that a record can only be copied poorly in an analog format, and will degrade and wear over time, forcing the user to buy another copy. What more could you ask for?
August 23rd, 2004 at 3:20 am
Let’s hear it for vinyl! ‘Records’ have ‘presence’.
August 23rd, 2004 at 10:16 am
Vinyl is all Ive bought for years
September 23rd, 2004 at 1:34 am
Sounds like a plan. We’ll do it!