Open Directory - Society: Issues: Intellectual Property: Music Freedom: Corrupted Audio CDs
- Community weblog discussing protected and corrupted audio CDs. - Information for classical music listeners to help them identify Copy-Controlled CDs, including the graphics that appear on the packaging. - Reader comments on The Age article reporting that some radio stations are unable to play copy-protected CDs. (April 06, 2003) - Article pointing out that music companies which use copy protection may be denying the artists under contract to them legitimate play time on radio stations. (April 03, 2003) - "The Register has a new story about claims by Bertelsmann that they'll stop manufacturing uncrippled audio CDs." News and reader comments. [Slashdot] (November 06, 2002) - Reader comments on New Scientist article. [Slashdot] (November 06, 2002) - "BMG is at it again, this time apparently set on applying copy protection to all its music products." By John Lettice. [Register] (November 06, 2002) - "The technology built into some CDs to stop people copying them is futile, according to a computer scientist who has put today's antipiracy systems under the microscope." By Barry Fox. [New Scientist] (November 06, 2002) - "Heightening the tension surrounding the music industry's efforts to guard its content in the digital realm, the five major record labels were hit with a class action lawsuit last week for producing and distributing CDs with copyright protection controls." By Scarlet Pruitt. [IDG] (June 18, 2002) - Reader discussion of Reuters article. [Slashdot] (June 17, 2002) - "The five major record companies have been hit with a class-action lawsuit charging that new CDs designed to thwart Napster-style piracy are defective and should either be barred from sale or carry warning labels." [Reuters] (June 16, 2002) - News brief and reader discussion. [Slashdot] (June 14, 2002) - News and reader discussion. [Slashdot] (May 22, 2002) - News about Celine Dion CDs killing iMacs and black markers or sticky notes defeating some "copy-protection" schemes. Reader discussion. [Slashdot] (May 14, 2002) - "Celine Dion's latest CD will not play in computer drives. In fact: 'Should the consumer try to play Dion's CD on a PC or Macintosh, the computer likely will crash.'" News and reader discussion. [Slashdot] (April 03, 2002) - "AOL Time Warner is beginning efforts to add copy protection to CDs, underscoring the company's desire to limit unsanctioned digital distribution of its musical works." By Jim Hu. [CNet] (March 12, 2002) - "To thwart file swappers, Universal Music Group executives have said they want to protect a large proportion of their new releases as early as midyear." News and reader discussion. [kuro5hin] (March 08, 2002) - "The downside of copy-protected music CDs? Some won't play when consumers get them home." By Aaron Pressman. [Christian Science Monitor] (March 04, 2002) - "Makers of a recording by country-pop singer Charley Pride have agreed to stop tracking most listener habits and to warn consumers that the CD is not compatible with MP3 and other players, according to attorneys for a woman who sued the companies." By Lisa Bowman. [CNet] (February 22, 2002) - "Officials for Netherlands-based Philips, which licenses the compact disc logo for both discs and players, went on a tirade against the recording industry for shipping discs with deliberate errors burned into them." By Paul Boutin. [Wired] (February 04, 2002) - Copy protection tracks implanted in CDs are a violation of the right to fair use of purchased music, writes a US Representative to recording industry lobbyists. (January 08, 2002) - "Bertelsmann Music Group has had to back down on plans to force anti-rip technologies on British CD buyers." By Tony Smith. [Register] (November 19, 2001) - "Complaints about anti-copying technology on Natalie Imbruglia's latest CD force her record label to issue replacements for angry consumers." By John Borland. [CNet] (November 19, 2001) - Virgin Megastores has responded to a complaint from one of their customers and said that BMG has set up a helpline to allow people who bought the corrupt version, to exchange it for a real one. Virgin and HMV will also be bringing in new stock of uncorrupted CDs. [Slashdot] (November 18, 2001) - Fat Chuck's maintains a list of corrupt CDs. Reader comments and discussion. [Slashdot] (November 11, 2001) - "Campaigners will take to the streets of Britain this Saturday (6 October) in a bid to raise public awareness of the music industry's attempts to prevent listeners from copying CDs or playing discs on PCs." By Tony Smith. (October 04, 2001) - "NSync's new CD will be released in a least 3 different versions (with different copy protection techniques)." News and reader comments. (October 02, 2001) - "The music industry is now testing different copy protection systems on mass market chart CDs, with copies of NSync's Celebrity on the Zomba label being sold in at least three different versions." (October 02, 2001) - "An unnamed Californian woman has sued US country music record label Fahrenheit Entertainment for allegedly misleading its customers by shipping CDs protected with an anti-rip mechanism." By Tony Smith. (September 11, 2001) - "Details of the method appear in a patent filed by IFPI. The patent, GB2357165, centres on encrypting the track time codes stamped onto every music disc." By Tony Smith. (August 17, 2001) - "Macrovision's SafeAudio and Midbar's Cactus - both new technologies designed to prevent CDs from being copied successfully - may have been defeated by software released over two years ago." By Tony Smith. (August 10, 2001) - Skeptical report on New Scientist's retraction of its warning that Cactus could damage speakers playing copied CDs. By Tony Smith. (August 10, 2001) - "One million CDs have been released in Europe which are protected by the controversial anti-piracy system Cactus Data Shield... The Cactus Data Shield system is controversial because the technology could blow your hi-fi speakers." By Robert Blincoe. (August 09, 2001) - Retraction of article saying Cactus DataShield could damage speakers. "Midbar... has asked us to make clear that there is nothing in its technology on the market, past, current or future, that could, or would, be potentially damaging to equipment." (August 07, 2001) - "It is called the Cactus Data Shield, and it is designed to add noisy garbage to all copied CDs. The trouble is, it could also damage the hi-fi and loudspeakers of people who play pirated CDs." (August 04, 2001) - "Sony's Music Entertainment division has been testing an anti-piracy technology that at best renders illegally copied CDs unlistenable and at worse blows listeners' speakers." By Tony Smith. (August 03, 2001) - "New Scientist reports that the new anti-piracy feature on audio CDs, has the potential to damage loudspeakers by introducing square waves into the amplified signal." News and reader comments. (August 01, 2001) - How Macrovision's SafeAudio works and how to bypass it. (July 27, 2001) - "Consumers in ordinary record stores are unwittingly buying CDs that include technology designed to discourage the making of digital copies." (July 18, 2001) - "The first CD title has already sold 100,000 copies, but it is causing concern among audio experts because they fear that the music may be audibly distorted." (July 16, 2001) - "Macrovision's SafeAudio technology, designed to prevent PC-owning music fans from ripping CD tracks onto their hard drives, has been bypassed." By Tony Smith. (January 08, 2001) - "[BMG Germany] was faced with a backlash from consumers complaining that some of the copy-protected CDs were unplayable." (February 03, 2000) - "BMG-Entertainment started selling audio-CDs using the Cactus Data Shield, a copy-protection system developed by Midbar and Sonopress which makes it impossible to grab the music from the CD and to listen to it using 'an old CD-Player' or a CD-ROM-drive." News and reader comments. (January 25, 2000)
