Musicload is following the example set by Apple and doing away with digital copy protection. On the cover of the current issue of "forward," a periodic newsletter sent to media representatives, T-Online's online music shop openly speaks of a "comeback for MP3s."

The newsletter says experts agree that the music industry will only be able to reach its goal of selling around 25 percent of its music via the Internet by 2010 if open standards are used. In contrast, the Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems currently used, including at Musicload, "make it hard for consumers to use music and prevent the market for legal downloads from becoming a mass market."

CeBIT