If you purchased an iPod between September 12, 2006 and March 31, 2009, you may have received an email informing you of your being included in a class action lawsuit, and directing you to this website. The lawsuit has been percolating since 2005, and has to do with Apple’s use of DRM and preventing workarounds to allow purchased music on other device. MacRumors and Ars Technica have pretty good introductions to the topic — and suffice to say since Apple no longer uses DRM on iTunes music, it’s not an issue anymore. Here’s the rundown from the official page:
Three individuals who bought iPods have sued Apple seeking to recover money for themselves and other people who bought iPods. The lawsuit claims that Apple violated federal and state laws by issuing software updates in 2006 for its iPod that prevented iPods from playing songs not purchased on iTunes. The lawsuit claims that the software updates caused iPod prices to be higher than they otherwise would have been.
If you want to be excluded from the action, you have to fire off an IRL letter by July 30th to opt out. There’s a pretty substantial list of effected iPod models, so check out the official list to see if you’re included or not.
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