Really, seriously... would piracy be an issue if the software were written as I described?

Maybe, or maybe not. But mainly, I think that the Rio folks aren't interested in becoming a "test case".

Here's my take on it (correct me if I'm wrong):

Making a copy of the music files is what would make the RIAA angry. Whether or not those files are stored in an encrypted format probably has nothing to do with it. The fact is, a backup is a copy. And although there are some rules regarding allowable backups of computer software, there are no such rules protecting digital copies of music CDs.

The only rules about copying music CDs are those outlined by the AHRA. If it's a digital copy, it has to implement SCMS. And SCMS has a very specific set of standards-- an encrypted tarball isn't part of the SCMS spec.

The only reason you can get away with doing the same thing on your PC is because PC's are specifically protected by the AHRA. The RIAA would probably like to see that changed very much, but here's my point: By the letter of the AHRA law, Rio can't allow the Empeg Car to make backup copies unless they specifically and exactly implement SCMS. It's this same "letter of the law" that allows audio-extracting CD-ROM drives to exist at all. So you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

I'm sure the Rio people have thought this through very carefully. They know how to implement SCMS, but trust me, you don't WANT them to have to implement it on the car player.

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Tony Fabris