Itunes Digital Copy is the new product from Twentieth Century Fox and Apple. When you buy a DVD, it includes an iTunes (and iPod, iPhone etc.) friendly copy of the movie. Entering a code transfers the movie into your iTunes Library.
This was mentioned in the Macworld keynote yesterday: The new Family Guy movie "Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest" is the first to have the digital copy on board. We thought it was worth a little extra coverage, though, as it is a smart way to prevent piracy, or at least to stop honest people turning into pirates, and will be included in future Fox DVDs (though probably not all).
We bang on about DRM here at Gadget Lab. Not because we're pro-piracy, but because DRM inconveniences the honest user: Pirates will always be able to make a copy, but honest folks are simply frustrated at not being able to use their content how they like. Ripping a movie is easy, but illegal. The new iTunes Digital Copy makes this point moot.
Yes, the DRM is still there, but now you can shift your content to any device you own, and it's legal. That's enough for 99% of users. We want your opinion. Are you happy to still buy DRMed media if most of the anti-customer teeth have been pulled?
Press release [Apple]
