Attack of the Radio Clones - Attack of the Borg Called Microsoft

[Tombstone]

Generic mouthwashes claim to be just as good as Listerine, and store-brand paper towels invite consumers to compare them to Bounty. This kind of marketing doesn't raise many eyebrows. But what if an online radio station says it's just "like" New York City's Z100 or L.A.'s KROQ, and manages to sound pretty much the same?

Good question. Soon, the world's largest software company, a staunch defender of its own copyrights, may have to answer it in court. Earlier this month, Microsoft began charging users to listen to online clones of 978 U.S. and Canadian radio stations with '"fewer ads, no DJ chatter and less repetition." And no, Bill Gates didn't ask the stations for permission to copy their playlists.

Irony, anyone? "Microsoft is going to be on the side of 'You don't own information.' Isn't that interesting," says Doris Estelle Long, professor of internet law at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. "They're usually sticking up signs saying, 'Mine, mine, mine.' This is a situation where they'll be on the other side of the fence."

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,128 ... _tophead_1