RealNetworks Hits Back At Apple Over 'Hacker' Comment
Consumers, Not Apple, Should Decide Issue, Says Media Company
POSTED: Friday, July 30, 2004
UPDATED: 2:03 pm EDT July 30,
2004
RealNetworks fired back at Apple Computer on Friday over comments that the company was using "hacker tactics" in its new Harmony software. That software allows Apple customers to download and play music from the RealPlayer site on iPod players.On Thursday, Apple released a statement complaining about Harmony and hinting that it may pursue action against RealNetworks under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).On Friday, Real responded to the complaints with a complaint of its own."Compatibility, choice and quality are critically important to consumers and Harmony provides all of these to users of the iPod and over 70 other music devices including those from Creative, Rio, iRiver and others," said the statement.RealNetworks went on to say that consumers, and not Apple, should be the ones choosing what music goes on their iPod.As to the complaints about the DMCA, RealNetworks said that its Harmony software followed a well-established business practice of using legal, indepedent development to bypass closed formats. One example it provided was Compaq's effort to build the first IBM-compatible computers."Harmony technology does not remove or disable any DRM system. Apple has suggested that new laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act [DMCA] are relevant to this dispute" said RealNetworks in its statement. "In fact, the DMCA is not designed to prevent the creation of new methods of locking content, and explicitly allows the creation of interoperable software."
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