San Francisco - Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) is taking some criticism for following a move Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) was compelled to backtrack on, namely discontinuing a digital rights management-laden music service in a way that will make some songs purchased by consumers unplayable. Microsoft eventually added three years of support for customers who purchased downloads from its MSN Music store, who complained that their songs would no longer be available if they ever had to reauthorize them on another computer.

When Yahoo shutters its Yahoo Music Unlimited Store in September, consumers who purchased downloads will no longer be able to reauthorize them.

The company has advised consumers to make CD back-up copies of their purchased tracks.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital civil liberties group, has called on Yahoo to offer to refund the purchase price of affected downloads, or provide DRM-free replacements from another online store, as well as ensure that Yahoo Music buyers have access to receipts -- or even cover legal costs if one of the tracks comes up in a copyright suit.

The EFF said Yahoo should also publicize these measures in newspapers, magazines, and with keyword ads.

"At the very least, this announcement is further evidence (if such evidence were needed) that DRM is just bad business," wrote EFF staff attorney Corynne McSherry.

"It's bad for the consumers who don't actually own the music they pay for; it's bad for the rightsholders who lose out when legal copies of their songs are worth less than illegally obtained copies; and it's bad for the companies that must choose between maintaining technology that is defective by design or violating the trust of their customers."

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/34zl4 (EFF statement)

http://snipurl.com/350o8 (DMW previous coverage)