Microsoft Agrees To Put A Copyright Cop On The Zune
from the not-quite-how-you-grow-your-market-share dept
Want to know exactly what not to do in order to build up marketshare against a formidable competitor? It's doing what Microsoft appears to be doing with the Zune: making it less useful for buyers. Remember, last month NBC Universal claimed that the reason it was keeping TV shows off of iTunes was because Apple refused to build a filter that would try to spot other unauthorized material and block it from getting on the iPod. So, with Microsoft announcing a deal to carry NBC TV shows for the Zune... the question had to be asked. And, yes, NBC is claiming that it went with Microsoft because Microsoft has agreed to build a copyright cop into the Zune. In other words, if you want the "legitimate" version of Heroes on your Zune, you may no longer be able to transfer lots of other content onto your Zune. This from the company that is already struggling to find people to buy a Zune.It's difficult to figure out which side is making the bigger mistake here, so we'll just say that both companies are working hard to drag each other down. First off, Microsoft. Apparently not having learned anything from recent DRM debacles, building a special copyright cop into the Zune software immediately makes the device that much less useful. Any such filter will be more of a nuisance than anything else. While it may temporarily cause annoyance to some users, those who really want to get content onto their Zunes will figure out other ways -- so this will only serve to piss them off. And, in many cases it will (yes, it will) stop the perfectly legitimate transfer of content to the Zune. So, it won't serve the purpose, but it will piss people off. Why would anyone buy into that plan?
As for NBC, remember, we're talking about TV shows here. TV shows that the company already distributes for free. You want as many people watching these shows as possible. Stop worrying about "piracy" and focus on making it as damn easy as possible for as many people to watch the shows as possible, and just include a few non-intrusive, non-annoying (but very entertaining) advertisements in there and everything will be great. Pissing off the very people you're trying to get to watch your (free!) TV shows doesn't seem like a strategy that's going to make many fans happy. They have plenty of other options on what to do with their time. Even worse, making sure that the only way that owners of iPods (the dominant player in the market) can see your shows is to get them from unauthorized sources (of which there are plenty) doesn't seem particularly smart.
These are rather simple things that should be obvious to anyone online at this point. That folks at Microsoft and NBC Universal seem to not realize them gives you a hint of what direction both companies are heading in with this effort. Update: Microsoft is denying the NY Times story. Update 2: Microsoft PR points us to Microsoft's blog statement denying the story as well. Reading between the lines, it sounds like NBC brought it up and Microsoft basically said "we'll think about it," but hasn't promised to do anything.
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Filed Under: copyright, copyright cop, media players, tv shows, zune
Companies: apple, microsoft, nbc universal
Reader Comments
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This is not surprising....
Seriously, I can feel the stupid from here.
What? You don't believe me?
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Is it just me
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Re: Is it just me
Yes Stevie has his...let's call them "personal challenges", but rumor has it that at last years company picnic, he came in first in the Chair-Toss event.
That oughtta count for something, huh?
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Re: Is it just me
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Re: Is it just me
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The real reason
Microsoft is looking so short-term in this one that it's scary. They're trying so hard to get one over on Apple that they don't see (or won't see) that this could kill the Zune.
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Re: The real reason
I think it's all a façade to get a better deal out of Apple/iTunes.
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Re: The real reason
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Re: The real reason
Why are people in the entertainment industry so damn dumb? It would only help their DVD sales. I think its our turn we need to go on a viewer strike!!!
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Re: The real reason
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Re: The real reason
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How will it do this?
It's just like Google's new plan to add a program to filter out infringing content, I have no idea how it can work.
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Stupidity rules.
My hubby won't watch a movie on television unless it promises minimal commercial innteruptions, and I'll bet it makes the commercials it does show worth more, because we're not bombarded by several of them at once.
So commercials really aren't bad.
But I won't buy a products that tries to cripple me as a customer. At all. Lots of other people feel the same way. As more companies try this tactic, more customers will feel the crunch and turn to open products.
Bye, bye Zune, we barely knew ye!
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That's a small iceburg. Full steam ahead!
~ Steve Jobs
"Thoughts on Music"
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/
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Ridiculous
I currently get most of the shows I watch from tvrss.net (rss feeds of torrents, probably not legit). Generally HD, commercials already removed. And, because I live on the west coast, they are occasionally downloaded before they actually air.
That is what NBC (and others) need to look at. They seem to see that type of service as their competition, but it should be their best friend.
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Copyright cop on a Zune?
As for me, I only use MP3's for music, so far I have been ripping them from my own discs. If I buy any, it will be from Amazon or some other provider of MP3's.
As for video, my wife has been recording the stuff she wants off the air onto a DVD-R for 5 or 6 years now. I then rip it to the computer and can transform its format, if needed. Standard broadcast quality is more than adequate for small screens. Indeed, handheld viewing devices can use reduced resolution.
I made the ultimate choice with respect to the TV networks and movie studios years ago -- I stopped watching anything they put out.
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When will these people learn?
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zune
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Disconnect between marketing and technology
The Zune fascinates me, in a horrible sort of way. From day one of the launch campaign it's been clear that Microsoft saw how compelling a "social" media player could be and marketed the Zune accordingly (remember "welcome to the social?"); also from day one, the social components of the Zune have been half-assed, crippled, or both.
There's great potential locked up in there somewhere, but it continues to look like it's going to take every single year of that long haul that the company envisions to get to an offering that stands out from the pack.
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1 person buys the dvd of the early eps. torrent the file to the masses........
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So what are the particulars?
We'll see, I guess.
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Good to know
Techdirt is the Best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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boycott Zune! I'm selling my Zune on Ebay.
Now instead of watching NBC shows on Netflix online, I'll download them illegally. I don't want to reward Microsoft and/or NBC.
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Missed point
This may be something NBC wants but I seriously doubt any type of filtering at an application level is really feasible or practical.
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Re: Missed point
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Help, FSB dude
???
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Someone needs to do some fact checking before they publish rumors.
http://zuneinsider.com/archive/2008/05/07/just-so-no-one-gets-the-wrong-idea.aspx
"We have no plans or commitments to implement any new type of content filtering in the Zune devices as part of our content distribution deal with NBC."
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Re:
Speaking of fact checking... if you had actually read the post you would have seen that I linked to Microsoft's response (which you claim I did not) a full 5 hours before you posted your comment.
It's great that you want to stand up for your employer, but blindly attacking us without reading doesn't do you any favors.
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