RealNetworks Returns Fire in iPod Dispute

With the battle fully joined, RealNetworks defended its Harmony digital music software against accusations from Apple that the technology was "hacked" from the iPod's DRM (digital rights management) application.

"Harmony follows in a well-established tradition of fully legal, independently developed paths to achieve compatibility," RealNetworks says in a statement. The digital media specialist compares the situation with Apple to the creation of IBM-compatible PCs from Compaq.

Harmony translation software provides a way to transfer tunes from RealNetworks' music store to the iPod, as well as to an array of other devices, RealNetworks contends. "Harmony technology does not remove or disable any digital-rights management system. Apple has suggested that new laws, such as the DMCA, are relevant to this dispute. In fact, the DMCA is not designed to prevent the creation of new methods of locking content and explicitly allows the creation of interoperable software," the company says.

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