An iPod-like player for Ubuntu

[Gary W. Swearingen]

Daniel Carrera <daniel.carrera at zmsl.com> writes:

> Sammi wrote:
>> Closed format? What? This is news to me...
>
> The iPod uses a DRM-encumbered format. This is the basis for Apple's legal troubles in France and Norway. Apple has a
> dominant position in the market and its DRM is excluding competitors.
>
> The issue might be confused by the fact that the iPod is also able to play non-DRM MP3 files.

But then even non-DRM MP3 files apparently (see
http://www.chillingeffects.org/patent/notice.cgi?NoticeID=464 ) cannot
be legally processed by software which is not covered by a license to
use MP3-related patents.  MP3 is open, but not free.

It seems that open-source people are only concerned about SOME
proprietary rights (like that which keeps GPL'd software out of
UNIX/BSD kernels) and not others.  I can almost understand that for
non-distributors since, as far as I know, their liability is probably
affordable and for that reason unlikely to be enforced, but I wonder
how distributors are able to risk being held up for 3 times the cost
of a license covering thousands of users or even a lawsuit.  I guess
they trust big global corporations to be nice, more than I do.