Digital Copy Protection

I don’t download illegal music files from the Internet. I’ve found the ebook version of Data Munging with Perl on enough dodgy web sites to know how it feels to have your copyrighted material ripped off.

I do, however, listen to music mostly at my computer and I have something like 40 Gb of digital music files that I’ve ripped from my CD collection. I like the convenience of being able to select from a huge number of tracks and not having to constantly change CD.

It’s therefore a little galling for me to find that I’ve inadvertantly come into possession of two CDs that have digital copy protection on them so I can’t play them on my Linux system. They are The Other Side of Daybreak by Beth Orton and Youth and Young Manhood by Kings of Leon. In the case of the Beth Orton album, the disc seems to contain software to allow the music to be played (but not, of course, copied) on WIndows and Mac systems. but this is of no help to me on my Linux system.

I’ve visited the websites for both of the record companies (EMI and BMG) and have sent them emails asking how I can get a refund for what are effectively two expensive drinks coasters to me. I’ll let you know if I get any rely.

3 comments

  1. If the jewel case and/or the cd bears the mark “Compact Disk Digital Audio”, then consider mentioning it to Phillips, who own that mark (IIRC), since it will have been applied to something that’s not Red(?) Book.And if you bought them, you might try to return them since they sold you a defective product and/or defrauded you (especially if no mention is made of the copy protection on the cover).

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