Living in the LBC

Phone

It turns out my new phone can't play MP3 files as ringtones, like my old one did. Well, sort of can't...bloody digital rights management.

The way around it is to use a free DRM packager provided by the manufacturer. That worked. I also could have unlocked it, which is apparently worth the risk...but its not a risk I want to take (dead phone).

When I got my old phone 3 years ago, Mp3 ringtones were a new thing here in North America, as was DRM. So it wasn't a problem back then. But now that MP3 ringtones and rights management are all the rage, its all of a sudden not kosher for me to take a song I purchased and make a portion of it a ringtone. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't buy those songs. I only purchased the privilege to play them back on a limited number and style of formats. But it is okay if I purchase a 15 second clip from Rogers. That's different. Because there I am purchasing the right to play that 15 second clip on my phone. With a CD, legally, I am really only purchasing the right to play those songs off the CD for private broadcast. Really, even taping that CD is illegal and violates my "contract" with the rights holder. Converting that CD to an MP3? Forget it, you theiving bastard. Taking said MP3 and putting it on an iPod or taking a 15 second portion and using it on a phone? You might as well just murder babies and rape old women in the eyes of the RCAA.

Err...enough of that now.

posted by thelbc @ 11:26 PM