• The Washington Post, Monday, February 12, 2007 11:01 AM

The empires strike back: Big Music has rebuffed claims made in the Steve Jobs essay published last week in which the Apple CEO took sides with consumer groups, saying music companies should open their files to a universal standard. During a conference call with analysts, Edgar Bronfman Jr., the CEO of Warner Music Group, said Jobs' claims were ludicrous., saying he advocates protecting "our and our artists' intellectual property."

Digital rights management has become the Net Neutrality of the online music industry, with traditional media companies on one side and device makers, consumer groups and online music providers on the other. DRM is what keeps songs purchased on sites like Apple's iTunes from being played on hardware and software created by other companies. Because of the popularity of its iPod media player, DRM has helped create a worldwide monopoly for Apple in online music, although Jobs said it would be better for all if Big Music consented to selling regular old MP3s.

Warner's Bronfman fired back by saying that if Apple wanted interoperability it could license its technology to competitors, an idea backed by the Recording Industry Association of America, the organization representing traditional music companies.

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