I love Steve Jobs

In Music wants to be free in this week’s Economist DRM policy of Jobs and Apple has been discussed. Paraphrasing below from the leader.

At issue is digital rights management (DRM)—the technology guarding downloaded music against theft……European regulators have been gunning for Apple. They regard its refusal to license FairPlay as monopolistic. Since music from the iTunes store cannot be played on non-iPod music-players (at least not without a lot of fiddling), any iTunes buyer will be deterred from switching to a rival device. Last year, French lawmakers drafted a bill compelling Apple to open up FairPlay to rivals.

In the past, Apple has supported DRM on the grounds that it kept the pirates at bay. It described the French bill as “state-sponsored piracy”.

He has also outlined a new solution to the problem.

He suggests, why not do away with DRM and sell music unprotected? “This is clearly the best alternative for consumers,” he declares, “and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat.”……….Rather than complaining to Apple about its use of DRM, he suggests, “those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free.” Two and a half of the four big record companies, he helpfully points out, are European-owned.

I love it when he takes on stupid European protectionist regulators. I love it more when he makes a profit by screwing them. But I love him most because he wants music to be free, not for me, but for his profit. It is almost like he is one of the characters in a Rand novel.