This image was lost some time after publication.

The Web is deriding Microsoft's decision to rename PlaysForSure, its digital rights platform, as "Certified for Vista." It's actually a rare sign of intelligent life in Redmond's marketing cubes. PlaysForSure never spawned the hoped-for army of iTunes killers, and Microsoft itself created another format for its own Zune, kneecapping any stores foolish enough to adopt PlaysForSure.

In short, there's no loss of brand equity here for Microsoft. The new label suggests that devices and music stores are merely compatible with Windows — the real butter on Microsoft's bread. And even though the stores and players will likely work just as well with Windows XP, Microsoft has just tricked its music partners into giving free advertising to its newer, unloved operating system.