The Microsoft damage control machine kicked into high gear yesterday afternoon, denying that the company was working with NBC on filtering software for the media device. From the Microsoft Zune Insider blog:

We have no plans or commitments to implement any new type of content filtering in the Zune devices as part of our content distribution deal with NBC.

Saul Hansell of the The New York Times Bits blog posted an update to his original story:

It’s worth noting that Mr. Perrette [NBCU president of digital distribution] told me that Microsoft committed to explore filtering; he didn’t say it committed to implementing those filters.

Here is what Mr. Sohn, the Microsoft spokesman, told me yesterday when I asked him about what Mr. Perrette said: “I don’t think they are wrong, but we are not going to characterize those discussions.” Later he added, “We have agreed to work with NBC across a range of topics, and protection of copyrighted material is certainly one of them.”