Anti-DRM Brigade in Multi-City Protest

Consumers are often unenthusiastic about digital protections, but one group
is diabolically opposed to it. DefectiveByDesign, a group that first grabbed
attention in June, has targeted the use of DRM protections by companies like
Apple. On Tuesday 3rd October, Defective coordinated a series of protests in cities
around the world, including Lisbon, Tel-Aviv, Los Angeles, Dallas, and
Milan. The group proclaimed the occasion "Defeating DRM Day," and asked its
supporters to raise awareness both online and off.

The group, which points to DRM as a shackle on digital freedoms, is hoping
to discourage companies from using protections in future technologies. "DRM
is more than a nuisance," Defective by Design declared in a recent
statement. "The film and music industry are setting the agenda to increase
their control," the manifesto continued. The group has urged consumers to
stay away from products like "Blu-ray and HD-DVD, iTunes, Windows Media
Player, Zune, and Amazon Unbox." Meanwhile, digital music and media fans are
often aware of the issue, and actively avoid DRM-protected content - not by
staging protests, but by simply avoiding assets like paid downloads. Pricing
is also a factor, though major labels are starting to experiment with
MP3-based downloads, something unthinkable even one year ago.