Unlocked Media: The Real 'PlaysforSure'

Gadget manufacturer Neuros has had a reputation for embracing open source and open standards since its first MP3 player, and as the company switched its focus to video recorders for backing up DVDs, playing downloaded content on televisions, recording television for iPod, and so on, its commitment against DRM has only grown stronger.

Neuros CEO Joe Born announced that the company has created an "Unlocked Media" logo and trademark program to let consumers know when a product or file they're considering buying is 100 percent DRM-free:

"The idea is pretty simple, we define 'unlocked' in a way that isn'tcompany or product specific, but rather stands for open, standardfiles, and allow anyone selling or creating unlocked files to use it.
Then, of course each time the mark is used in conjunction with aproduct or store, it reinforces that meaning. Ultimately, over time,
the hope is that consumers come to associate the 'unlocked' mark withcompatibility and versatility, and to make a distinction that willshame all the DRM vendors (although they are obviously not easily shamed)."

Neuros posted a few videos explaining the benefits of the program on its blog. If it catches on, it could become what Microsoft's recently-renamed PlaysforSure program pretended to be: assurance that a song can reliably be played on a wide range of equipment.