Gartner: A piece of tape defeats any CD DRM
 

VNUNet.com:

The highly controversial XCP digital rights management (DRM) technology bundled by Sony BMG on 52 of its audio CD albums can be defeated by applying a small piece of tape to the discs, according to analyst firm Gartner.

Applying a piece of opaque tape to the outer edge of the disk renders the data track of the CD unreadable. A computer trying to play the CD will then skip to the music without accessing the bundled DRM technology.

"After more than five years of trying, the recording industry has not yet demonstrated a workable DRM scheme for music CDs," Gartner concluded in a newly published research note.

The use of a piece of tape will defeat any future DRM system on audio CDs designed to be played on a stand-alone CD player, the analyst said.

Gartner predicted that the music industry will start to lobby for legislation that requires computer makers to include DRM technology on their systems.

But the analyst advised that, instead of limiting what users can do with music they have already purchased, record labels should focus on tracking this use.

This would enable a "play-based" model where users are charged a fee based on how they consume music.

Sony abandoned the use of the XCP anti-piracy technology earlier this month after weeks of heavy criticism from security experts and consumer advocates.

The technology sought to prevent users from making illegal copies of the music on Windows computers, but posed a major security risk and was capable of damaging the computer when users attempted to remove the software.

Gartner called the DRM scheme a "public relations and technology failure".

LMFAO @ the irony of it all.

LOL, but turning off auto-run is safer than having a chunk of gummy tape come off a spinning CD and go blowing around inside the drive and destroy the drive. Tape could also unbalance the CD and make it shatter while spinning.

Just turn off auto-run, rip the tracks to HD and then exchange the CD for one that does not have the protection.

The best thing about this fiasco is that some of the industry's sneaky tactics have been exposed. Further, these tactics have been shown to be used for purposes other than the copy protection - including spying on user's activities without consent.

Would have loved to be a fly on the wall at some of the meetings Sony undoubtedly had over this. There were probably a number of rather terse phone calls as well. I bet somebody got a roto-rooter style reaming over it.

Hi TG :W:


I think I read somewhere a similar idea, but using black permanent marker.