copy protection

Music and movie retailers in the United Kingdom claim digital copy protection is hurting, rather than protecting sales. The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) says album sales are down 11% this year. Its director-general Kim Bayley said copy ... protection is "stifling growth and working against the consumer interest." The drop in CD sales is not matched by a rise in downloads. According to the ERA, only 150 million tracks have been legally downloaded in the UK in the past three years, fewer than one track per person each year. The ERA says consumer confusion over incompatible formats used ... (view more)