ITunes and Interop

Yesterday's announcement that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has asked the recording industry to do away with digital rights management (DRM) protections for online music created quite a stir.  This move, if implemented, would allow digital audio to take a large step towards interoperability.  Users would be able to transport audio files between audio players regardless of where or from whom they were purchased.

Larry Lessig, of the Stanford Center for Internet & Society wrote, "bravo to Apple and Steve Jobs. About this I am happy to be proven wrong."  You can read the full blog, including Lessig's suggestions on his website.

The issue of Digital Media Interoperability was also addressed recently at a workshop co-hosted by the University of St. Gallen and the Berkman Center, in Weissbad, Switzerland.  You can read the workshop's briefings and recommendations online.

You can get thoughts on the matter from Berkman Fellows Doc Searls' blog and Dan Gillmor's blog.