Hmm, seems I was wrong about the fail being DRM-related. Maybe. Microsoft claims it's all because of those darn leap years.

Microsoft has issued its official statement and an FAQ on the Zune.net forums. After "the technical team jumped on the problem immediately," there appears to be a bug in the 30GB Zune's internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. Microsoft recommends allowing affected Zunes to run down their batteries, and come noon, GMT on January 1, 2009, it will be safe to plug in, restart, and once again rock out with the Zune.

'Cause seriously, who saw those leap years coming?