mikesd81 writes "Information Week writes about the licensing change to "Certified for Windows Vista" being Microsoft's attempt to beat market leader Apple using a similar combination strategy of branding and DRM technology. Microsoft on Wednesday replaced its "PlaysForSure" logo with a "Certified for Windows Vista" tag.`The certification is used to guarantee compatibility with Microsoft's copyright-protection software and is the same logo used for the company's Zune player. The problem, however, is that music and video bought from the online Zune Marketplace won't play in their native format on other devices, including those that will carry the new logo. The logos reflect the digital rights management technology Microsoft uses to control how and where downloaded content is used. PlaysForSure was used to match online stores with players from multiple vendors supporting Microsoft's digital rights management technology. Companies building players that supported PlaysForSure DRM included SanDisk, Sony, and Creative Technology. Even among those devices, however, content bought from online stores didn't always work. "(PlaysForSure) was a good idea that was poorly executed, which is why we started calling it 'PlaysForAlmostSure," Michael Gartenberg, analyst for JupiterResearch said." Link to Original Source
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