RSS'DVD Jon' Opens Up Apple's FairPlay
By Ed Oswald | Published October 2, 2006, 3:07 PM
Noted DRM hacker Jon Johansen, known more commonly by the nickname "DVD Jon," has now figured out a way to reverse engineer Apple's FairPlay digital rights management technology. Johansen is now licensing his workaround to companies who want their media to play on Apple devices.
According to a report on technology web log GigaOM, Johansen along with partner Monique Farantzos have already approached Apple CEO Steve Jobs about their technology, although they did not provide specifics on their plans.
Reportedly, Jobs told the pair -- who have formed the company DoubleTwist Ventures -- that Apple would not pursue legal action. Nevertheless, Jobs warned that other companies might not take so kindly to their motives.
It is unclear why Apple may be so receptive to DounleTwist's plans, although it may be due to the how Johansen has designed it to work. Instead of stripping the DRM, the technology will actually add another layer on top of what already exists.
It is in this layer that the technology lies that enables songs from music services other than iTunes to play on an iPod. While this might hurt music sales in Apple's own service, it could actually help the Cupertino company to sell more iPods, some say.
"Apple enjoys fat margins on its devices, and perhaps should turn a blind eye, for now," Liz Gannes opined for GigaOM Monday. "We won't be crossing our fingers for Jobs to keep his non-litigious promise, though."
Any help in selling more iPods should be welcomed by Apple. Microsoft plans to release its highly anticipated Zune music player in mid-November, and the device is seen as the first true threat to the company since the launch of the iPod in 2001.
However, the company has been notoriously protective of its intellectual property, and a legal challenge to Johansen's actions is fairly likely.
Did anyone read the story, or
has there been a major change
in your guy's view of DRM?
He ain't stripping it anymore,
he's adding to it. He does not
"Break" or "open" FairPlay, he
adds another layer to it.
This is the only reason Jobs
said what he did.
"DVD Jon" sold out, boys and
girls.
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|What? Read more than the headline and form an immediate opinion? Are you crazy? :)
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|Ed: Please, I beg you, spell check!
"DounleTwist's " :(
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|Yeah, sure.. keep believing in the "DVD Jon" computer-wiz myth, the truth it's far from that.
But people keep believing in geniuses, kids that can crack complex cryptic codes and so on.. How naive people are.
If the guy was a real genius he would have been put in jail long time ago and now Steve Jobs would have sued him immediately, instead no one dares touching the guy... and no one wonders why ?! Oh, well...
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|Come on! DVD Jon is an entrepreneur and a pretty good programmer. Job and Apple facing issues with Uni and EMI GIVING away music that iTunes sells. and the EU looking and Apple Jobs needs to be a bit open. DVD Jon might end up facing some DMCA law suit from a 100year old congressman or judge that is not sure what a computer is.
We can only hope programers keep inventing and don't get sued everytime they do..
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|You show complete ignorance of this fellow and his work:
http://www.theregister.c...vd_jon_is_free_official/
They tried to sue him....and lost.
Google DVD Jon, there's plenty out there about him.
Maybe you should do some basic research before posting.
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|Heh nice trolling.
Now go back to your cave.
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|"If the guy was a real genius he would have been put in jail..."
Are you on drugs? What kind of stupid logic is that? Go back to high school.
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|They lost because what you think it's the truth about him it's simply not. Keep believing in the computer-wiz myths as much as you want but reality is way different than that and the marketing guys surely enjoy naive people like you.
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|I take it that you know this guy personally? You must to have this kind of "inside information."
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|He isnt inventing, he is screwing with someone else's work in this case. And in other cases, well the companies do have the rights to keep their stuff from being copied if they want.
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|Maybe you should post your proof, since you seem so very certain of it.....
Put up, or shut up. You have no proof as to what you claim, because it does not exist.
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|Just felt the need to say "absense of proof is not proof of absense".
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|I really admire this guy ....
i've been using pieces of his work ever since dvds could be ripped trough DOS commands ....
Good One DVD Jon -
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