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Sony drops CD copy protection in Japan

Written by Petteri Pyyny @ 03 Oct 2004 2:54 User comments (4)

Sony drops CD copy protection in Japan After last few years filled with public outcry from consumer associations, end-users, in some instances from governments and obviously also from Philips (who is the patent and trademark owner of the CD), at least one major record label has woken up. Well, not quite, but at least Sony's Japanese music subdiary Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) has announced that it will stop using technical copy-protection mechanisms in audio CDs it sells in Japan.
From 17th of November, all Sony's audio CDs sold in Japan will be free of any technical copy protection mechanism. Sony's official line for the reasons behind the move is that now Japanese consumers have learned important issues about piracy and legality of music copying and also that now the country's legislation is tougher towards piracy than what it was when the copy protection mechanisms were introduced. But all the signs indicate that the real reasoning is simply that Sony doesn't want to anger its consumers -- at least not in its own home market..



Source: The Register

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4 user comments

13.10.2004 20:57

its about freaking time. Whos next?

24.10.2004 00:45
nigeljkuk
Inactive

yeah ....well they wanna do the same with the software for their net mini disc recorders and bin sonicstage at last some sense

34.10.2004 06:36

Good job Sony. Hopefully other labels will follow, but I´m sceptical.

44.10.2004 12:34

They woke up from the Matrix of "copy protections don't work". Great! =D

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