Mikrosoft lanceert MP3 killer

Volgens info op de The Register heeft Bill gisteren zijn eigen alternatief voor MP3 gelanceert. Het heet "Windows Media Technologies" en als we Bill mogen geloven dan geeft 't vergelijkbare kwaliteit als MP3, maar tegen een halve bestandsgrootte. Microsoft zou Mikroschoft niet zijn als ze er ook nog ff een vieze beveiligingsmethode in hadden gebouwd:

Windows Media Rights Manager brings to WMT tools for content publishers to determine what kind of licence users have been granted when they download a music track. It all sounds pretty flexible but it has a sinister dimension. Microsoft is clearly attempting to treat music in the same way it treats software: we own, we're just letting you use it for a while.

Licensing music rather than selling a copy of it, as is currently the case with CDs, isn't likely to win much support among serious music fans, and may well act contrary to US law such as The Home Recording Act. This permits the user the right to copy music tracks for personal use. This may be impossible in Microsoft's system, which seeks to prevent copyright infringement by preventing duplication rather than by taking legal action against those who make illegal copies. Microsoft is essentially assuming guilt before innocence.