There's obviously a practical difference between DRM files that can be played without additional payment and those that require an ongoing subscription (and presumably continue to pay-per-play to the rightsholders).
But I agree that the offline files are the soft ground of Spotify's argument. I'd be very surprised if back in the days of selling DRM'd downloads of music, iTunes et al didn't think they needed to cover mechanical licenses for each download, and I don't know that any courts have dealt with the difference noted above yet.
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Re: Re: Re: Streaming intangible yes, offline copies no.
But I agree that the offline files are the soft ground of Spotify's argument. I'd be very surprised if back in the days of selling DRM'd downloads of music, iTunes et al didn't think they needed to cover mechanical licenses for each download, and I don't know that any courts have dealt with the difference noted above yet.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by evanhr.
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