Apple Asks Bluwiki To Remove Posts
Apple has taken aim at a wiki site that posted information about an iTunes hash that limited users' ability to sync their iPods with non-iTunes platforms.
Apple complained to the site, Bluwiki, and asked that the posts be removed on the ground that they violated Digital Millennium Copyright Act's anti-circumvention provisions. That law bans trafficking in tools that defeat copyright restrictions.
The takedown notice to Bluwiki said the site was "disseminating information designed to circumvent Apple's FairPlay digital rights management system."
But the material that was targeted doesn't appear to directly deal with FairPlay--Apple's digital rights management software that aims to restrict users' ability to transfer songs to portable music players other than iPods/iPhones.
Instead, the disputed posts seemed to concern attempts to reverse-engineer a database that iTunes creates and places on iPods/iPhones, which makes it difficult for owners to sync their devices with platforms other than iTunes.
Because the information wasn't about FairPlay, or other protections on copyrighted tracks, it's not clear that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's anti-circumvention provisions apply, according to Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Fred von Lohman.
"I don't see this as a circumvention issue," he said. "It strikes me as something that's plainly anti-competitive." Lohman added that he had been in talks with Bluwiki founder Sam Odio, but that the Electronic Frontier Foundation doesn't currently represent the site.
Odio said the author of the disputed posts intended only to improve interoperability between platforms.
Recent Online Media Daily Articles
-
Entertainment, Travel Bet On Mobile Banners May 22, 4:16 p.m.
Banner ads have long been the whipping boy of online advertising, and the same is now ... -
Marketers Should Tailor Specific Pitches To Tablet, Smartphone May 22, 2:51 p.m.
Don’t lump tablets in with mobile. That’s the takeaway of a new Forrester study looking at ... -
Good TV Content Trumps On, Whether Trad TV Or Streaming May 22, 2:42 p.m.
While consumers continue to perceive TV programming as superior in quality to that of online fare, ... -
Google Releases Self-Serve Display Benchmark Tool May 22, 2:02 p.m.
Understanding how a brand's online campaign competes with competitors requires trending benchmark data like engagement rates ... -
Twitter Brings Lead Generation To Tweets May 22, 1:14 p.m.
Twitter began testing a lead generation tool Wednesday in its tweet stream that resembles a cross ... -
DigitasLBi, Razorfish Tap Execs For Global Ops May 22, 11:26 a.m.
Publicis Groupe digital agencies DigitasLBi and Razorfish have installed new executives to run their respective international ... -
More Consumers Turn To Mobile To Research, Book Travel May 22, 8:53 a.m.
More than half of consumers used a mobile device to book travel in the last 90 ... -
Showrooming Overhyped, Mobile Key To Shopping Purchases May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Given consumers' mobile in-store shopping trends, some consider the showrooming hoopla overblown. The research process still ... -
Shopping App Swirl Adds In-Store Capability May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Swirl entered the mobile shopping fray last year with an iPhone app allowing users to learn ... -
Tablets Gain Popularity With Shoppers May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Internet-connected devices are exploding in the United States. There are 31.8 million Internet-accessible tablets, according to ...
Be the first to comment on "Apple Asks Bluwiki To Remove Posts "
Leave a Comment