The well-publicized scheme for ripping off music from Napster has really rattled some pixels. Finally, Napster issued a weak rebuttal of the scheme and the implication that the service's DRM was faulty. Of course, the company is correct to say that Napster is no more vulnerable to DRM-stripping than any other service. Even though the instructions pertained explicitly to Napster, the truth is that commercial software such as TotalRecorder makes it fairly simple to record DRM-less versions of virtually any sound that emanates from computer speakers. The Napster scheme is neither practical for most people nor a meaningful wake-up call for the industry. I don't mean to defend DRM, but the truth is that DRM was never intended to thwart every instance of copyright violation. Its purpose is to make infringement too inconvenient and unrewarding for most people.
