Apple calls on music industry to drop web copy protection

NEW YORK - Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs has called on the four major record companies to start selling songs online without copy protection software known as digital rights management (DRM).

In a statement posted to his company's website, Jobs said there appeared to be no benefit to the record companies to continue to sell more than 90 per cent of their music without DRM on compact discs while selling the remaining small percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system.

"If such requirements were removed, the music industry might experience an influx of new companies willing to invest in innovative new stores and players. This can only be seen as a positive by the music companies," he said in the statement.

- REUTERS