Description:
Norwegian hacker Jon Lech Johansen, who created the software designed to break the copyright-protection technology in DVDs, claims to have broken the built-in protection on Apple's iPod music players and the iTunes FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) system used to make iPod and iTunes a closed system.

The Good:
The technology will make other online music stores work with Apple's iPod device and let iTunes songs play on devices other than the iPod, said Monique Farantzos, Johansen's business associate and co-founder of DoubleTwist company.
Opening the iPod technology could also be good for the music business. The major labels worry that compatibility concerns will slow the digital-music market, especially when Microsoft comes out with its own closed system.

“We have two components in the business. One is to enable other online stores to wrap their content with FairPlay so that it works on the iPod. Major labels and studios do not release their content unprotected. If you want to offer DRM protected content and you want it to play on the iPod, you have to use FairPlay. So we have developed a method for making content compatible with the iPod.

We also plan to allow competing devices play iTunes content. When you buy a DVD, you know that the DVD will play on your Toshiba or Sony or Philips player, but when you buy music or video online, you don't have that. “(Monique Farantzos)

The Bad:
For sure Apple is going to lose millions of dollars if this cracking system is patented and becomes legal or if they don’t release a patch to update the hole in iTunes.
Johansen didn't spend hours cracking code to bring more music to the masses for free. His purpose is to make money with his new company DoubleTwist. If Apple sues his company and wins Johansen will probably spend years in prison.

Conclusion:
Currently Apple provides 88 percent of the legal music downloads worldwide and sells 60 percent of all portable-music players. The technology could help rivals sell competing products that would be able to play music from iTunes. It also could make songs purchased elsewhere play seamlessly on iPods.

So far, Apple hasn't sued anyone who has created or distributed any of the FairPlay hacks. That could be because the company is afraid that losing a case would set a precedent that would encourage imitations of the iPod or it could be that Apple doesn't want to give anyone the publicity.

written by Cristian L.