In light of the EA Maxis' Spore going gold, concern once again has hit the PC gaming segment over the definite inclusion of digital rights management (DRM) software with each copy. Many have argued over the integration of SecuROM on executables of The Sims 2 and its expansions, and now that Spore producer Lucy Bradshaw has confirmed Spore will be succeeded by at least one expansion, there's a whole lot of bickering to come for PC gamers. More details at the full story.

Instead of going against the flow that iTunes has set up over the past few years, RealNetworks' Rhapsody has decided to take a different approach to compete against Apple's leading digital music distribution service - by embracing the iPod's MP3 format. Find out what Rhapsody's new "Music Without Limits" strategy is all about by reading our full article after the jump.

 With Grand Theft Auto 4 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) speeding full throttle into our consoles, the details on it just keep pouring in. This time, we're informed that the game will feature a music download system to enhance the in-game radio experience that the series popularized. Amazon is behind Rockstar on this one, and the alliance seems to herald a lot of good stuff. Know more by reading the full article up next.

Reading Apple's first Q&A in the iTunes Movie Rentals FAQ should have been the end of it really, but as many customers have mused, why would a later generation iPod classic be deprived of an iTunes service? A complaint at Apple's support forums has many iPod owners puzzled, if not skeptic, at how a later model of Apple's iPod couldn't avail of a staple third generation iPod nano service, but some believe the service won't work due to hardware and DRM limitations.

Since Sony's demonstration in Las Vegas, you may have wondered how the process of transferring Blu-ray movies from your PlayStation 3 to your handy PlayStation Portable actually ran. Details at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show were flat-out dry, but thanks to new info running around, you'll be able to see a bigger picture. More on the popular BD Live feature at the full story.

Some downloadable media are free, but that just means we don't pay for it. Some of those media - videos in particular - are only free because they come with ads, and if no one watches those ads, the system becomes ineffective.

This reasoning might explain why Microsoft has filed for this patent: a system that "enforces advertisement playback for downloaded media." More in the full article.

Following Steve Jobs' announcement of an iTunes song price cut on The Wall Street Journal Online, Apple has dropped the price of all iTunes Plus songs (those without any digital rights management) from US$ 1.29 to US$ 0.99 for U.S customers. It was also announced that Apple will be beefing up their selection of songs by adding more independent music labels to iTunes Plus.

While Jobs didn't explain why Apple is dropping iTunes Plus songs' prices, rumor has it that this price drop and the addition of new indie labels is Apple's response to Amazon's DRM free music download store.

This move could further solidify iTunes' reputation as the 3rd largest music retailer in the U.S. We'll have to wait and see if Steve Jobs' current actions will generate more consumer interest.

For those waiting for the promised PSP Download Store, it looks like you'll have to wait a little bit longer. Sony officials were not able to specify a launch date when asked about the PSP's downloadable media service. The reason? Sony is still working on Digital Rights Management (DRM) to protect downloadable content from getting pirated, said John Koller, spokesman for the PlayStation Portable.

According to some financial analysts like Forrester Research's James McQuivey, the delay is setting back the PSP from challenging the popularity of the iPod. "It could have been the first big mobile carrier of TV shows and movies," said McQuivey on the PSP's potential to become one of the best portable media devices should it have DRM.

Even Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America's (SCEA) president recognizes the importance of the downloadable service for the PSP.

I think the advent of a long awaited and quite frankly long overdue ability to deliver a downloadable service for the PSP will help us out a great deal... Hopefully we'll have it out there by the fall.

The Sony executives did give some information about the upcoming PSP downloadable store. Short form games will be available, and once music and movies are made available in the service, Koller promises that they will be of the same quality as the almost-flawless UMD media.

Not content with just selling movies and music online, Apple is now engaged in talks with major movie studios about renting movies for a paltry amount of US$ 2.99 for a 30-day rental period.

This may be a challenge toward existing cable and satellite TV companies, most of them offering Video-on-Demand (VOD) which lets people download movies into their cable box or gain access to premium programs.

This move may prove to be advantageous to Apple, who already sells films through distribution deals with Walt Disney as well as Paramount. Other entertainment moguls are hesitant to make deals with Apple simply because of fear that online distribution may hurt optical media sales.

But because of the 30-day limit made possible by the Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, DVD sales will unlikely get affected by Apple's proposed download-to-rent format, purportedly to be launched in autumn.

A studio executive has acknowledged that Apple's plan would most likely "compete against cable companies and anyone else offering VOD into the home". VOD and similar formats have already become a staple for the cable TV industry such as Comcast, DISH Network, and TiVo. Apple's edge over them, however, is that it has a larger customer base.

Currently, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and Disney have no comments regarding this issue, though the inside buzz have studios getting inwardly excited with Apple dabbling in the VOD market. Says one studio executive, "When you think about Apple customers they are so connected to the brand they will try anything to do with it."

The whole Internet community is reeling with the issue concerning Digital Rights Management (DRM) and user-generated online sites. As you all know, a software key that could break the encryption of HD-DVD format has been unleashed online and thousands of websites published the key.

DRM groups say the bloggers just crossed the line this time. The said key was published on Digg and needless to say, it was picked up by God knows how many websites. An executive from Advanced Access Content System (AACS) said that they are considering to confront those who published the exploit with "legal and technical tools."

The bloggers, on the other hand, commented that they are protected by the First Amendment. Digg management, for a time, removed the entries containing the key. However, the users posted an even more number of websites containing the exploit and Digg eventually acquiesce with its users. A part of Founder Kevin Rose's statement reads,

After seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you've made it clear. You'd rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won't delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

AACS Chairman Michael Ayers seemed amused by this as he referred to Digg's decision as an "interesting twist." Ayers added that people can talk about the pros and the cons of the matter but publishing the software key itself is a different matter. When you do that, he explained, you leave the "realm of protected speech." He also released a statement telling the users that the key is already invalid,

We will take whatever action is appropriate. We hope the public respects our position and complies with applicable laws. There has been a lot of misunderstanding. The key that has been leaked has now been revoked. This is the first round and will not be the last.

AACS, reportedly, is now employing stronger tools and copy protection system that have been designed to counter these breaches.