This article at The Register looks at Philips’ current position on copy-protected CDs. (Philips owns the “Compact Disc” standard, and licenses the use of the term and logo for products that comply with it.) It concludes rightly that Philips is not necessarily fighting on the side of piracy against the Evil Recording-Industry Megalith, but rather just balking at the incredibly flaky ‘copy-protection’ schemes being essaied these days by the record companies.

The interesting thing is that people are shocked — shocked! — and surprised to see a large company actually coming out on the side of its ultimate customers (i.e. you and me). The fact that it’s surprising that they see the interests of the people who consume their product — as opposed to coming up with a knee-jerk reaction that favors their own corporate short-term interests, or there middlemen’s, or their executives’ — is alarming. The customer isn’t always right, it’s true. Lately, though, most large companies (in all industries) seem to have decided that the customer is never right.