By Will Sturgeon, 25 October 2006 12:50
NEWS
Apple's proprietary DRM technology may have survived allegations of anti-competitiveness and even government attempts at intervention in the past two years but it seems one software engineer has found a way to crack the iTunes code.
Tracks downloaded from iTunes have to date only worked on Apple's iPod music players, and rivals and consumers have called for change, branding this relationship anti-competitive.
Now Jon Lech Johansen - better known as DVD Jon - is widely reported to have reverse-engineered his way under the skin of Apple's FairPlay DRM.
A spokeswoman for Apple said the company has "no comment at this time".
In March 2005 Johansen found a security hole in Apple's iTunes program which allowed music to be downloaded stripped of its copy protection. And although Apple closed that hole, within days Johansen had opened up iTunes once again, this time for Linux users.
Comments
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1. anonymous
Make it all free, then we'll see who comes to the table of innovation. I can't wait until all we have are songs sung by Richard Stallman - imagine the immense demand for that?
2. Warren Swaine
Why is it that whenever someone "cracks" DRM the computer press get all excited about it?
I've been cracking audio DRM for the last 4 years with nothing more than a 2.5mm to 2.5mm jack lead. Speaker out - line in. Works every time, completely unstoppable by any DRM software update and I can copy my music to whatever device I want.
Audio DRM is fundamentally flawed as long as music needs to be played through loudspeakers or headphones and no one seems to have been brave enough to point this out to the companies pouring millions into the industry.
3. anonymous
There is a massive difference between making it free and ripping people off.
When the actual music makers get a fair crack of the money made from their creations, THEN i'll feel sorry for Apple
4. Justin Wheatley
I wonder what the litigious fruit will do?
5. anonymous
Why do I detect a sense of triumph in this report. It seems to be shared in part at least by some of your correspondents who see nothing wrong in theft of intellectual property.
Apple created something truly innovative with iTunes and the Apple Store that was acceptable to both the record industry and to the buying public. I suppose it was inevitable it would engender resentment, envy and even malice.
Clever programmers who "crack the code" are merely plundering the record companies and their creative artists. And however much one might dislike the record companies they are the conduit to fame and fortune for the artists.
Shame on you silicon.com for your tacit approval of this behaviour.
6. Sarah
This just proves what a friend of mine from America says about DRM being a waste of time. The people it is really aimed at (the pirates) have the ingenuity and technology to know how to get around any DRM. The only people that it really affects are Jo Public who only wants to do what they would do if they bought their music on CD and that is put it on a different device to listen to for themselves.
And I would not mind betting that Apple's DRM had already been broken long ago. I mean, if you had cracked it, would you tell the world and give Apple the chance to rectify it?
7. anonymous
2.5mm Jack Plugs.
At the APIG meeting in February the 'audio hole' was mentioned.
This allows analogue audio to be captured on its way to the amplifier & speakers.
The record companies want PCs to only have USB speakers, and no sound cards, so that DRM can built into the speakers to stop this happening.
Of course, it's up to us to support this move by buying such PCS. Or not...