US lawmakers bark DRM alarm...


MarketWatch is reporting the machinations of a US House of Representatives' panel gathered to discuss digital-music interoperability issues. Specifically, Apple's iPod and FairPlay DRM took the brunt of the negative comments at what appears to have been a rather contrived affair.

Here are some interesting quotes:

• "Government intervention can probably prohibit innovation," said US Rep John Conyers, (D, MI). "Consumers will choose interoperability over closed platforms" like the iPod [emphasis added].
• "It does not seem prudent for [the] government to pick a winner in the continuing, but still quite early-stage, marketplace battle between Apple's Fairplay DRM and its competitors," William Pence, CTO, Napster.
• "Generally speaking, companies with 75-percent market share of any business ... need to step up to the plate when it comes to testifying on policy issues that impact their industry. Failure to do so is a mistake," US Rep Lamar Smith (R, TX).

[Ed--Apple did not send a representative to testify]

• Dr Mark Cooper, research director, Consumer Federation of America, suggested a labeling program for [the iPod], "This music can't play on anything else."

Democracy in action...

What's your take?