Hero Hacker Does It Again

Hero Hacker Does It Again



A young Norwegian who became a global hacker hero by writing and distributing a program to crack DVD security codes appears to have struck again, this time against Apple Computer’s ITunes online music service.


Jon Lech Johansen, 19, faces a new trial next week after prosecutors appealed his acquittal for violating Norway’s data break-in laws with his DeCSS program.

Now, a new security ripping program called QTFairUse was posted – along with the message So sue me – on an Internet home page under Johansen’s name.

The new program circumvents ITune’s anti-copying program, MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Coding, by legally opening and playing a music file, but then, essentially, draining the music into a new and parallel file.

The newspaper said there are many other programs on the Internet allowing ITune’s files to be copied, but that Johansen was the first to post his program as “open coding.”

By providing details of his program, Johansen makes it possible for other programmers to use it as a basis for other applications, the report said.

Johansen, also known as DVD-Jon, was 15 when he developed the program, DeCSS, to watch movies on a Linux-based computer without DVD-viewing software. He also posted it on the Internet in 1999.

The program is just one of many that can break the film industry’s Content Scrambling System, which prevents illegal copying and blocks the use of legitimate copies on unauthorised equipment.


http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2226262

Dr_Evil

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Originally posted here by Dr_Evil

The newspaper said there are many other programs on the Internet allowing ITune’s files to be copied, but that Johansen was the first to post his program as “open coding.”

By providing details of his program, Johansen makes it possible for other programmers to use it as a basis for other applications, the report said.

Johansen, also known as DVD-Jon, was 15 when he developed the program, DeCSS, to watch movies on a Linux-based computer without DVD-viewing software. He also posted it on the Internet in 1999.
Dr_Evil

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God bless kind geniuses! Hopefully he won't face any jail time, or fines for this noble idea.

very interesting, Dr_Evil.. thanks for bringing to my attention. of course, my curiousity made me search google..

even more interesting is jon's blog found here.

just a snip taken from it.. there's a lot more to be read there..

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So sue me
Jon Lech Johansen's blog
Wed, 26 Nov 2003
Zealots attack
I've been getting some emails from angry Mac zealots. Many of them start out similar to this:

"Sorry to say this but, unlike with DeCSS where you were allowing Linux users to view DVDs, this time you've gone too far. "

None of them explain how this is different and why GNU/Linux users should not be allowed to play legally bought music. Instead they go on to rave about how great iTMS is and that the imposed DRM is a good compromise. If they hadn't been completely clueless about copyright law, they'd know that Fair Use is the compromise. Some of them claim that this will lead to the RIAA imposing stricter DRM. Did they suddenly realize that it's the RIAA, and not Apple, which determines the rules for the iTMS DRM? When they complain about Microsoft's DRM used by other music stores, why do they think that it's Microsoft, and not the RIAA, which determines the DRM rules?

They have failed to understand that by buying into DRM they have given the seller complete control over the product after it's been sold. The RIAA can at any time change the DRM rules, and considering their history it's likely that they will when the majority of consumers have embraced DRM and non-DRM products have been phased out. Some DVDs today include commercials which can't be skipped using "sanctioned" players. If the RIAA forces Apple to include commercials, what excuses will the Mac zealots come up with? "It's a good compromise"?

Here's how one of the emails, from a guy in the UK who's working on his Ph.D, ends:

"You may think you're doing the right thing "liberating music for one and all" but you really aren't. Thanks for ****ing it up for all of us, *******. I hope Apple, the RIAA and the BPI come down hard on your ass now that the EUCD and DMCA are in place. "

Funny stuff. I just hope I have enough room in /dev/null.

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Three cheers for dvd-jon , just hope he doesn't plan on visiting the USA ever (remember skylarov http://www.freesklyarov.org/ )