FC: Clarification on Apple's warranties and copy-protected CDs

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Mon May 20 2002 - 07:16:26 PDT

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    [From MDJ, available at macjournal.com. --DBM]
    
    ---
    
    **Follow-Ups**
    
    * Apple Computer garnered lots of press for its KnowledgeBase
       article on copy-protected "CDs." That was the one that said, in
       part, that if you put one of those platters in your optical drive
       and couldn't get it out, any procedure necessary to remove it
       would not be covered by your warranty. Apple got dinged for not
       helping users affected by the plastic impostors in coverage from
       Wired News [1], the Hollywood Reporter [2], and Macworld UK [3],
       along with lots of Mac sites that didn't necessarily emphasize the
       warranty issue.
    
       [1] <http://wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,52513,00.html>
       [2] 
    <http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/bpihw/20020513/en_bpihw/apple__some_cds_don_t_compute>
       [3] <http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=4645>
    
       Apple seems to have meant that if a non-standard disc gets stuck
       in a drive, any repairs necessary to get it out - or any damage
       you cause trying to get it out - are not covered by warranty.
       That's bad enough, but the original article left the distinct
       impression that simply _inserting_ such a disc voided your
       warranty and could damage the drive in some way even after the
       disc was removed. Other sources dispute this interpretation, but
       it may be a moot point.
    
       Apple first removed and then replaced the KnowledgeBase article
       [4] on the topic. The new version, dated 2002.05.16, says only
       this: "Audio discs that incorporate copyright protection
       technologies do not adhere to published Compact Disc standards.
       Apple designs its optical disc drives to support media that
       conform to such standards." The company suggests you take your
       computer in for service if a paranoid CD has crippled it. The word
       "warranty" is nowhere to be found in the new article. It's not
       clear if Apple has changed its policy or not, but at least the
       company isn't publicly blaming you for not reading the fine print
       on CDs. (MDJ_ 2002.05.12)
    
       [4] <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106882>
    
    
    
    
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