French Internet users are not properly informed on DRM

By EDRi · July 4, 2007

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

The UFC- Que Choisir association has revealed the results of an online study
performed in February 2007 regarding the use of DRM (Digital Rights
Management) systems imposing third-party restrictions on the users of a
reading device.

The poll has shown that most French Internet users have not been properly
informed on the restrictions that DRM systems involve and that they
definitely would like these technical protections out.

The poll covered about 800 Internet users that had already bought music
online. Out of these, 51% stated they had never been informed on the usage
restrictions that DRM imposes and 65% of them thought they could listen to
the music they had legally bought on any device without any constraints.

According to the study, 20% of the respondents have already experienced the
situation of buying music online that they could not listen to on the
devices they had. Most respondents (about 90%) consider it is very important
to be able to use any kind of device to read the music they buy.

UFC-Que Choisir association asks from the French Government to revise the
so-called DADVSI law in order “to refuse the producers the unilateral
freedom to impose DRM contrary to the basic consumers’ rights”.

UFC-Que Choisir’s main preoccupation is interoperability for the consumers.
“The musical world can very well live without the DRM. Even better” said
Edouard Barreiro, in charge with new technologies within the association.
“If the legislator cannot interdict the use of DRM, the industry should at
least be imposed to use at least a unique DRM format to provide the
interoperability”.

Some of the music distribution companies such as EMI group or Universal have
already started having initiatives of providing DRM free music online. As
Denis Olivennes, owner of Fnac commercial website, stated: A non-restricted
title is sold twice a DRM bound one.

The Internet users do not know DRM well (only in French, 26.06.2007)
http://www.01net.com/editorial/352653/les-internautes-connaissent-mal-les-drm/

Music : the consumer does not want DRM (only in French, 28.06.2007)
http://www.clubic.com/actualite-75858-musique-consommateur-drm.html

DRM: the consumers do not want restrictions (only in French, 27.06.2007)
http://www.ecrans.fr/spip.php?article1656

EDRI-gram:France establishes the DRM-regulation authority (12.04.2007)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number5.7/drm-authority-france