"DRM (Digital Rights Management) has the potential to become the universal billing system for the Internet. Apple's iTunes store currently dominates online media sales, while Microsoft has successfully sold its Windows Media format to telecommunications carriers that are hoping to sell copy-protected music, TV and videos to subscribers...

The possibility of one or two proprietary U.S. standards dominating the market is not just a concern in France, whose leaders have recently been touting "economic patriotism." It also unnerves any company that has content to sell or distribute, since songs or videos purchased from one store will often not play on systems from another store, locking in users...

French law wants different copy protection software programs to be able to communicate with one another, so that downloads from the Web can be transferred to any device, not just iPods or WMA devices, as long as the number of copies stays within limits set by media publishers." (CNet News 20 March 2006)

Just look at audio books in libraries. Online services generally use Microsoft's DRM while most patrons carry Apple iPods. Tying hardware to DRM has got to end now. Look at the emerging next generation DVD mess, DRM is at the heart of the matter. Content holders are picking sides, consumers are going to suffer as a result.