Blu-ray discs to adopt same DRM as rival HD-DVD

Blu-ray discs will employ the same digital rights management (DRM) anti-copying technology as the rival HD-DVD format, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has revealed. The discs, recorders and players will use the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) to prevent unauthorised disc copying. The BDA said that AACS' support for future 'usage models' based around home networks and the Internet was a major factor in its decision. ...more

Comment: Customer confidence in Microsoft at risk

Microsoft is very good at the belated stable door slam. Fling a few Outlook-reliant viruses around the Web and a security patch will appear, inevitably within the week. Break into Hotmail, its Web-based e-mail system, and only a day or two will pass before the system is back up and running. ...more

Napster CEO starts slanging match with Apple

The CEO of Napster has accused his opposite number at Apple, Steve Jobs, of 'tricking' customers. In an interview with the BBC, Brad Duea said that Jobs has 'tricked people into buying a hardware trap' by making iTunes downloads compatible with only one portable music player, the iPod. He also said that Napster's subscription model is the best reflection of the way that people want to get their music, despite all the evidence that people are happy to pay a one-time fee and own their music forever as a result. ...more

MGM vs Grokster case moves to the Supreme Court

The two sides in the bitter dispute over whether peer to peer networking is responsible for illegal file sharing final met at the Supreme Court today. The long running battle between MGM, which represents the movie business, and Grokster and StreamCast Networks, for the p2p companies, seeks to settle once and for all whether peer to peer technology encourages illegal activity. So far the battle has been a 2-0 victory for the file sharers. ...more

Apple dishes out iPod plunder for 500,000,000th iTunes download

Half a billion and counting. Apple has notched up the 500,000,000th download from its iTunes Music Store and a woman from Indiana is the very lucky recipient of a big iPod prize bundle. Earlier this month Apple announced it would mark the milestone with a big give away and one Amy Greer of Lafayette, Indiana scooped the 10 iPods, the Gold 10,000-song Gift Card for the iTMS (and 10 additional 50-song gift cards to go with each iPod) and four tickets to see Coldplay on their current world tour. ...more