Re: [microsound] ot : the upgrade is not mandatory...

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Apple Plugs iTunes Hole That Allowed Song Swapping
Thu May 29, 2003 07:52 PM ET
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. AAPL.O said it
moved this week to plug a software hole that allowed
its iTunes music download service to be used to share
songs over the Internet, striking a sour note with
some users.

Earlier this week, Apple released an update to its
iTunes music software for its Macintosh computers,
which allows subscribers to download songs for 99
cents each.

One feature of iTunes, called Rendezvous music
sharing, allows users to share downloaded songs
between three Macintosh computers and also allows
users to share songs copied from CDs to be shared over
the Internet.

The update eliminates users' ability to swap songs
copied from CDs, but doesn't disable the Rendezvous
feature.

The new service has been a hit, with more than three
million songs downloaded since the service was
released a month ago, Apple says.

Song-sharing over the Internet, made famous by
Napster, has hurt music sales over the past few years
and made record companies reluctant to distribute
music online because of fears that their songs will be
pirated and distributed freely.

Apple's iTunes service won the support of major record
labels because it included protection for downloaded
songs, but the CD song swapping feature would allows
users to pirate songs using the Rendezvous feature.

A spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association
of America, which represents the music industry,
declined to comment.

Others in the music industry had urged Apple to take
steps to eliminate the unauthorized file-sharing.

In a statement, Apple said it was "disappointed" with
how users were employing the music-sharing feature.

"We designed it to allow friends and family to easily
stream (not copy) their music between computers at
home or in a small group setting, and it does this
well," an Apple spokeswoman said in a prepared
statement. "But some people are taking advantage of it
to stream music over the Internet to people they do
not even know. This was never the intent."

Subscribers to the iTunes service started receiving
notices on their computers from Monday urging them to
update their iTunes software.

While the upgrade is not mandatory, it shows up on a
daily basis, forcing users to reject it until it is
downloaded.

Internet discussion groups had been abuzz over iTunes'
song-swapping capabilities since earlier this month
and on Thursday, complaints were rife from users who
were taking advantage of this feature.

"I guess the horse is out the barn now," one online
commentator wrote.

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