Memo from the Long Spoon Department

Microsoft has a long and inglorious history of working closely with companies only to shaft them royally when it suits. Now it looks like the same is happening with music. According to this TechDirt piece:

Microsoft's super hyped up portable entertainment device, Zune, isn't even compatible with protected Windows Media files that use Microsoft's own "PlaysForSure" copy protection. Yes, that's right. All of the content that people bought on services like Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo, Movielink or Cinemanow that they figured would continue to be supported by everyone outside of Apple... just discovered that Microsoft has cut them off.

So all those copmpanies who thought they were one of Microsoft's closest pals just found out why you should always use a long spoon to sup with the devil.