Harming Our Business?

“To date, Apple has not agreed to design its popular iPod line of portable digital audio players to function with our music services and users of our music services must rely on our Harmony technology for interoperability with iPods. If we cannot successfully design our service to interoperate with the music playback devices that our customers own, either through relationships with manufacturers or through our Harmony technology, our business will be harmed.”

That is a quote from a Real Inc. representative who was discussing the potential lawsuit opportunity that Apple has based on Real’s Harmony software hack that allows iTunes DRM protected files to play on their shitty mp3 players.

A word of advice to Real: Avoid future lawsuit pitfalls by not hacking into a legally binding arrangement between multiple companies. I’m sure Apple’s entire arrangement with record labels is that their DRM solution assures copyright owners (eg. record labels and artists) safety in knowing that their product will not be illegally distributed.

F’n f’ers.