DoJ increasing anti-Apple probe from music to all media
The New York Post is reporting that the Department of Justice is extending its anti-trust probe into Apple beyond music into all forms of media, including movies and TV shows.
"The [Justice Dept.] is doing outreach," said one Hollywood industry source. "You can't dictate terms to the industry. The Adobe thing is just inviting the wrath of everybody."
Interestingly, Hollywood thinks nothing about dictating terms to consumers or treating us like criminals, forcing DRM schemes on Apple and other companies -- schemes like HDCP and FairPlay that don't stop bootleggers but do stop regular consumers from fairly using the content they paid for. They've also recently gotten the government to help close the "analog recording loop", create unfair laws like the DMCA and pursue rediculous international agreements to do likewise and worse.
Apple, like Microsoft and Google should be properly scrutinized for abusive and anti-competitive practices, absolutely. But what about Hollywood, who is scrutinizing them? The government is supposed to protect the interests of the people, not of the studios.
Ironically, Hollywood-mandated DRM is the only hard lock in iTunes.
If the probe into Apple is really about protecting consumers then great, protect us. If it's about helping friends in Hollywood remove Apple as a barrier towards further harming consumers with more DRM, higher prices, and less choice, then how about turning the DoJ around and pointing them in the right direction?