Those pesky anti-DRM types were out in force yesterday in a bid to raise awareness of what they consider to be overly restrictive technologies by the content industries. A combination of consumer rights and so called 'free software' organisations took part in the publicity campaign, mainly distributing leaflets explaining their DRM concerns to commuters in US and European cities, including Boston, Zurich, Paris and London.
Some leaflets mimicked the Apple iTunes silhouette adverts, showing a music fan with her hands tied behind her back by the iPod earpiece cables. While the campaign was not specifically aimed against the computer firms' download platform, organisers say Apple are among the companies restricting consumer choice through the use of DRM.
Peter Brown of the Free Software Foundation, one of the organisations behind the campaign, said: "This is not aimed against Apple. We're focusing on iPod because it popularises that DRM is acceptable". And he added that: "Apple's DRM is [actually] relatively benign. But Amazon Unbox's user licence is very restrictive and Windows Media Player 11 user agreement is incredibly intrusive and restrictive. The restrictions demanded by the media companies can get tougher, because the technology companies are now competing to get access to the media".
You'll find more info on the campaign at http://www.defectivebydesign.org