MusicGremlin Overview Rough Consensus and Running Code: Integrating Engineering Principles into the Internet Policy Debates University of Pennsylvania Law School May 2010

MusicGremlin Quick Facts Founded 2003, acquired by SanDisk 2008 Launched first wireless on-demand MP3 player with vertically integrated music service Components: –Music Label Agreements –Backend Web Servers –Frontline Customer Service –Online Sales & Registration –Device Hardware –Device Firmware/ Software –PC / Mobile Web-based Portals –Wi-Fi/ Wireless Technologies

Problems With Digital Music Services (2003) Strong desire to move music off PC –PC as Access Device, not Listening Environment –Historical accident? –CDs (car), MP3 player, home stereo Content side-loaded from PC – virtually no “direct-to-device” –Apple virtually only fully “closed loop” via PC Massive transfer “fault lines” (lack of standards) between: –DRM Cloud Key Server and Device –MTP/ Proprietary PC software and Device Firmware –Device and PC Physical Link/ Proprietary –Internet Authorization and Device-PC Link –PC Music Collection and Device Sync/ Library

Direct-to-Device Advantages Fully managed end-to-end delivery No intermediary devices Avoid “fault line” issues PC Wi-Fi Public/ Private Internet Ad Hoc Wi-Fi Backend Systems

Device-to-Device Sharing Ad Hoc Device-to-Device Mode Internet Device-to-Device Mode

MusicGremlin CMS Overview

Wireless Key Points Launched Wi-Fi-based portable device Completed trials over Flash OFDM Wide-area Networks (2004) Integrated headless device logon with Starbucks, other hot spot providers “Transparency to wireless” design –Caching solution for offline catalog search (3 million song titles) –Auto-logon for public and private hot spots, sleep mode –Automated algorithm for ad-hoc vs. infrastructure search mode –Resume content downloads automatically –Phone home for updates, enable on-network sharing Innovated unique on-the-fly device-to-device ad hoc Wi-Fi features