"Don't buy copy protected audio CDs"
Reply #36 – 2003-12-09 14:37:18
It seems to be a specially built CD for the requester. I translated the text :Mid september I sent 3 CDs to the parisian address that was given to me by the operator of the 0820 300 011. Start of october I receive the following mail "...we are processing your request. Since our CDs have all the Copy Control technology we are forced to satisfy your request to start the process for mastering a new CD." Start of november : the CDs are returned to me with their doubles in my name! and a "crying" text justifying anti-copy systems and the following words : "Please here included are your original CD and another one with an identical content but with a digital watermark. In fact this CD is not protected with Copy Control it has been provided with a system usually reserved to professionnals. We use this system for the albums we provide to the journalists before their commercial release. This watermark allows us to identify you as it's sole owner in case of illegal distribution on the internet or duplication to a third party. We ask you to have a special care for this CD in preventing it's illegal use. We hope that with this CD we brought you a solution to your playing problem." very interesting. i never heard about intentionally watermarking CDs. to think that a record label would go to all that trouble for a few customers personally i think they're full of crap when they say that they need to press and master a new copy. i think they keep quite a few copies of unprotected versions "just in case" someone complains. with EMI here in canada i read that they didn't even ask for the original disc back. you just fax or email them a receipt and they send you a free replacement. i have no idea whether this replacement have any kind watermarking technology. from what i read it doesn't. it's just a normal unprotected version. money well wasted if you ask me.