Hmm It looks like they're getting more aggressive... But I've never heard of 8Hz. I agree what Fraunhofer has done with MP3 is very Bill Gates. But I don't think it's going to be enough to kill the MP3 format in any way. The negative backlash of which you are obviously a part of may be enough to push Ogg to the masses, but I haven't seen evidence of a strong enough groundswell for me to think about switching.

Digital Rights Management has nothing to do with MP3 because the format doesn't use it. DRM also isn't a bad idea. It won't stop "sharing" because as long as you can still get digital data off of the music industry's distribution medium, you can rip a track and share it an infinite number of times. Yeah I know, even that is in question with the copy-protected CD's that are showing up... But the backlash against those is very strong. DRM is nice because it will give people the OPTION of buying a track for a modest charge, and somewhat legitimize the idea of electronic music distribution. Those who still wish to pirate songs will still be able to do so.

-Tony
MkII #554