I’ve only recently started using iTunes. Funnily enough I had to use it to help a Macro Scheduler customer, but that’s another story. I was really impressed with how easy it is to buy tracks and download them with iTunes. So I bought a few albums and the first thing I did was burn them to CDs for use at home and in the car. But I was particularly looking forward to copying the tracks to my HP iPaq so that I could listen to them when I’m travelling. Well it was at that point when I found out that iTunes uses a format called m4p which includes some form of copy protection. m4p files won’t work with Windows Media Player on Windows Mobile and iTunes wouldn’t let me copy them to MP3. Apparently you can play them on an iPod of course! Should have figured.

Well, I had just burnt the files to CD, and I can rip CDs with iTunes can’t I? So all I did was use iTunes to import the tracks on the CD to MP3 files. Voila. Then I could copy them to the iPaq.

So, let’s recap shall we? iTunes won’t let you convert an m4p file to an mp3 directly, but it will let you burn an m4p file to CD and then rip the CD to mp3 files. So, er, what exactly is the point of the copy protection then? What exactly is the reason for the m4p files? I can only assume it’s to make using anything other than an iPod a little more complicated. Because it sure isn’t preventing anyone from making copies - the DRM (Digital Rights Management) system is ineffective.

I seem to remember Microsoft got into trouble over pre-installing Internet Explorer and making it difficult for vendors to provide alternatives. Seems Apple is doing something similar here by making you jump through extra hoops to get an iTunes file onto anything other than an iPod. Or maybe I’m just being too cynical and overreacting.

I really wish the record industry & Apple etc, would just get a grip and trust people. Those that have no intention of paying for something won’t pay for it whatever you do. And the only DRM and copy protection systems I’ve seen cause more hassle than good. Sooner or later someone will find a way round them. If all it ends up doing is annoying the genuine customer then really what is the point?

ZDNet Executive Editor David Berlind prefers to call DRM C.R.A.P (Content, Restriction, Annulment, and Protection). Watch his video to see why he thinks DRM is a load of c.r.a.p.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 29th, 2006 at 2:48 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.