DRM warriors, rejoice: The people have spoken, and Wal-Mart has listened. The retail giant reversed its decision to take down its digital rights management servers Friday, following a massive backlash from angry music buyers.
Wal-Mart announced plans late last month to shut down the servers, telling customers it would "no longer be able to assist with digital rights management issues" for tracks purchased from its site. Translation: If you bought music before February, you're out of luck when it comes to transferring it to another computer or device. Wal-Mart called the move the "final stage of [its] transition to a full DRM-free" store.
Power to the People
It's no surprise folks weren't happy. But it is surprising to see how quickly the corporation responded to the concern. A Wal-Mart spokesperson confirms the servers will remain on "based on feedback from ... customers." Before you get too excited, though, note that the commitment isn't indefinite: Wal-Mart only says the servers will stay on for "the present time," not elaborating on how long that "present" may last.
A Familiar Fight
Wally World, of course, isn't the first to face a fight when it comes to dropping DRM support. MSN Music attempted to pull the plug on its servers in April, but two months later, Microsoft agreed to keep them humming till 2011. (Microsoft says it will reevaluate its decision then.) Yahoo Music followed suit in July when it revealed plans to shut down its music service altogether -- but in perhaps the most customer-minded move of all three instances, it offered users coupons to download DRM-free equivalents of their tracks from its new partner, Rhapsody.
The Next Round
You'd think by now the music services would get the message, but the days of DRM distress aren't done. Apple is now in the midst of an international battle over its digital rights protection policies on iTunes. A government-appointed consumer advocate in Norway is arguing the restrictions violate users' rights. He says people should be able to play the music they purchase on any device they want. A novel concept, don't you think?
Apple has until early November to respond to the complaint, then a court will take up the case. Maybe, just maybe, it'll lead to new legal precedent for digital rights management -- and, in doing so, manage to give us some much-needed protection for our own digital rights.
