Whether or not Microsoft's Zune will impose DRM on music files has been a big topic in the blogosphere. Zune Insider, which is a Microsoft-sanctioned blog written by a Microsoft employee, started the whole thing when it wrote earlier that the Zune wrapped songs in DRM. Yesterday Zune Insider posted to set things straight. Here's an excerpt:

"We don’t actually 'wrap all songs up in DRM:' Zune to Zune Sharing doesn’t change the DRM on a song, and it doesn’t impose DRM restrictions on any files that are unprotected. If you have a song - say that you got 'free and clear' - Zune to Zune Sharing won’t apply any DRM to that song. The 3-day/3-play limitation is built into the device, and it only applies on the Zune device: when you receive a song in your Inbox, the file remains unchanged. After 3 plays or 3 days, you can no longer play the song; however, you can still see a listing of the songs with the associated metadata."

So no DRM, but short-lived access to the song or video imposed by the device itself. And remember, if a Zune receives a song or video, it can't be forwarded to another Zune.

Be sure to read down through the comments to get an idea of how confused and agitated the early adopters are over the limitations.