BtiTorrent Adds Windows DRM. Warner Music Group’s Kaplan Says NO!

Even as the industry is moving towards mp3’s and less DRM, BitTorent Inc. (flush with new venture dollars and the purchase of UTorrent) is surprisingly working it into their system.

“We’re rolling out with some content DRM’d, using Windows DRM, at the
insistence of our content partners." BitTorrent head Brahm Cohen told Wired. He the tries to hedge with, "We’re very
concerned about the
usability problems DRM introduces, and are educating our content
partners about the lost commercial opportunity.”

This revelation left at least one major label insider fuming.  WMG Senior Director of Technology Ethan Kaplan wrote on his personal blog, "…TAKE A STAND and don’t do the partnership. If people keep
placating, nothing will ever change. BitTorrent
using Windows DRM is
anachronistic as one can get."

He continues, "Bram Cohen being part and parcel to a service which uses Windows DRM
is a direct affront to the efforts the Internet community has put
toward validating both in-the-clear files and BitTorrent as a
worthwhile method of maintaining artist-rights and distributing content. I can’t begin to outline how angry it makes me."

Since someone inside WMG understands the damage DRM is doing to the business will they onitiate a change?

Stay tuned next week as Hypebot profiles industry experimentation with mp3’s and takes a look at the increasing evidence that much larger moves are imminent.