"Sooner or later it had to happen. Microsoft is putting a lot of money into Digital Rights Management, and expects to get a lot more money back out so long as it can persuade consumers that DRM is their fluffy friend, and most certainly not a fiendish plot to allow the music companies to squeeze even more money out of them. This time, the knife was pointing at Steve Ballmer when it stopped spinning, so the prez's name went onto a DRM apologia sent out as Microsoft's regular customer information email."
Yup, the public is starting to twig to the fact that some of the Trusted Computing and NGSCB work over at MS could well mean loss of control over data on their computers. While most people are against out and out piracy (granted there are plenty that are all for it, but let's leave them out of the discussion for the nonce), that doesn't mean they want to lose control of the data they've paid for. Most consumers want to be able to reproduce legally paid for music files for different form factors (legal CD purchase that's loaded on an MP3 player for gym time listening, for example). To take that freedom away won't sit well at all.
I think MS should concentrate on DRM for IP inside enterprises and leave the RIAA and personal data issue out of it. This article isn't the first to indicate that a big storm is brewing with the public. MSFT should pay careful attention. When the buyers speak loudly enough, vendors must listen.