What does the protection on iTunes songs do?

DRM, prevents you from coping it a single time... Many digital music services employ digital rights management (DRM) — also known as "copy protection"

But most of the time you can always purchase it without DRM. Learn to shop for the best price look at amazon, and Apple's DRM free pricing, and look at the official artist website sometimes you can get if for free...

Lots of information on this link

www.eff.org/pages/customer-always-wrong-users-guide-drm-online-music/

Have you ever read the Digital Millenium Copyright Act?

If you live in the US, you are not allowed to defeat the copy protection and copy any music or movie on any media. The DRM protected music from Apple is included in copy protection part of this rule.

Something we must live with until enough people force our elected Senators, and Congressmen, to change the industry backed law... I believe Copyrights are the life time of the artist, plus 50 years. Life plus 50 years is far too long for a copyright especially if the artist had to give up his copyrights to the Music Company...

JR

I suggest you not using iTunes, it doesn't seem safe.

Try using Songbird as an alternative

http:\www.getsongbird.com\