Intellectual property Toolkit

Taking the rap for DRM

Leader ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 19 Sep 2006 16:05 BST

Rapper and new media entrepreneur Chuck D has made his feelings about current DRM usage painfully clear. ZDNet UK's own in-house rapper, Emesdoz 3 point 3, has been moved to break out the following phat rhymez

You bought your tracks on Napster? Here's a fact that'll catchya: they changed the code, made things old, left their old customers freezin' in the cold

Microsoft says it plays for sure, but the only thing for sure is yo' gonna pay more. When yo' buy your new Zune yo' gotta re-buy all yo' tunes, dance to the beat of the money-grabbing goons

They've seen ya comin', in thru the door, gotta pony up some more. Every year. Ya know the score. Singles, LPs, cassettes, CDs, you've bought it all times four, ain't nearly enough by the law that they enforce

ATRAC, AAC, WMA, with all that DRM they can play the trick again, it's yo' that they're managin' and yo' don't mean a thing

Each new toy is locked down tight, each make yo' pocket light, each burn away yo' rights. Wanna give yo' stuff away? It's infected with decay, it'll last for just three plays, be dead by Saturday

The only right yo' music has is to remain silent, try and change that and the lawyers become violent, don' matter what ya want, that's not in the equation, and the boys who make the rules ain't open to persuasion

Don't buy that bridge, don't play that game, don't give 'em nothing for nothing in exchange. Buy your music on CD, make your own MP3s, keep it open for all time. Fair use is not a crime. Yo.