March 17, 2004
MP3 Phone Patent Dispute Deepens
The copyright row over MP3 phones is showing no signs of letting up as cell
phone makers and the music industry continue to debate the legality of
playing music files through handsets, according to the The Korea Times via Unwired.cc
"LG Electronics ast week started selling its LP3000 model, an MP3 phone that can save 16 music files at a time.
The local music industry, which has suffered setbacks of late due to piracy
mainly in the form of song swapping over the Internet, responded by
expressing strong concerns at free music files being played on the phones.
The Korea Association of Phonogram Producers (KAPP) claimed the rollout is
against copyright law and said it will seek to block sales of the LP3000.
The organization of the music producers also stopped providing any
phonograms to the LG-made MP3 phones starting March 12.
LG Electronics countered that it has incorporated digital rights management
(DRM), solutions devised to prevent illegal play of music files, into the
LP3000 phones.
However, the KAPP claimed that already back-door programs enabling free play
of music files via the LP3000 are available on the Internet.
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