While the movement in the US and Europe has been away from DRM (in music), that doesn't mean the battle is over. Witness Japan, where the local recording industry wants to cripple every phone that plays music:

Under the system proposed by the RIAJ, whenever a user tried to play a song, software in their mobile phone would ask a security server whether it is covered by copyright. If so, and the phone did not have a code to indicate it was bought legally, the song would not play.

The possibilities for screwups in this are endless. What if you don't have connectivity to the server? What if the song you want to play was ripped from a (legally owned) CD? What if it's something you recorded at a personal event, like a band jamming, or a show put on by your kids/friends?

The music industry sure likes kludges that annoy end users...

Technorati Tags: drm, japan