Walmart Caves On DRM Removal

cmunic8r99 writes in with an email he received from walmart.com yesterday evening about the pending shutdown of their DRM services (which we discussed a while back). Walmart has reconsidered and won't be shutting off its DRM servers after all. They are still moving to an all-MP3 store, but won't break all the DRMed music its customers have already downloaded; this because of "feedback from the customers."

Re:Wal-Mart

[Shikaku]

Tagged: suddenoutbreakoflawsuits

Re:HUH??

[91degrees]

Well, it does. Play a DRMed file. Listen to the quality.

Turn off the DRM servers, transfer the file to another machine and listen to it again.

Listen to the windows error message sound.

Which sounds better?

Re:Wal-Mart

[Schadrach]

IOW, the way it is supposed to work is that they should, whenever the expected lawsuits are less expensive, shut down the DRM servers, and effectively render useless that which their customers have purchased?

You know, I need to start manufacturing things with built-in self destruct switches and simply blow up my customers purchases when I need more sales. =)

Re:Wal-Mart

[cayenne8]

"You know, I need to start manufacturing things with built-in self destruct switches and simply blow up my customers purchases when I need more sales. =)"

If these are in the form of a 'vest'....I think you'll find a ready made market over there in the middle east. Heck....make it voice activated:

LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLa....BOOM!

Re:Wal-Mart

[jedidiah]

Whatever else you might want to say about Walmart, you at
least have to give them credit for being good at pandering
to their customers. That says as much about the Walmart
shopper as it does Walmart, but that's another rant...

Re:Wal-Mart

[Mister Whirly]

Modded: $tupid overu$e of dollar $ign$

Re:Wal-Mart

[nabsltd]

Walmart spends more on toilet paper for their in-store restrooms in a month than a lawsuit over this would have cost them.

If you sue for the same sorts of "losses" that the RIAA sues for, then that $100,000+ per track would add up pretty fast.

Even with miserable total sales of 10,000 tracks, that'd be a billion dollar lawsuit.

Re:Wal-Mart

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever bought a toaster outside of the US. You'll burn you hand the first time you use it. Not in America. The only toasters you find will be more carefully designed and labeled. Why because of the threat of lawsuits.

I'm going to file a lawsuit against you for dangerous abuse of grammar. Hopefully that will make this post safer to read so my grammar-nazi-trained eyes and brain don't get burned the first time I read it.

Re:Wal-Mart

[Alsee]

I need to start manufacturing things with built-in self destruct switches and simply blow up my customers purchases when I need more sales. =)

Microsoft got the patent on that ages ago.

-

Re:Wal-Mart

[somersault]

Ever bought a toaster outside of the US. You'll burn you hand the first time you use it. Not in America. The only toasters you find will be more carefully designed and labeled

Would this label say "do not insert hand into toaster while in operation?". Yeesh..

There is a big difference between "outside of the US" and "South Africa". Please stop making such crazy generalisations. I don't think I've ever burned my hand on a toaster..