DVD Jon reverse-engineers Apple's FairPlay DRM to license out

October 3, 2006

Jon Lech Johansen, the person famous for hacking the DVD CSS copy protection system and who also broke Apple's DRM has now successfully reverse-engineered Apple's FairPlay DRM system to the point where he can now apply Apple's FairPlay DRM to content that will play on Apple's iPod series.

While most consumers may wonder why someone would want to bother putting DRM back on content, apparently Jon has done this to start licensing it out to companies to allow them to deliver DRM protected content capable of being played on Apple's iPod series. While this may open up competitors that offer iPod compatible DRM crippled music, it could actually help Apple sell more iPods.

Jon now works with Monique Farantzos and they have both worked together to set up the company DoubleTwist Ventures, where Jon is aiming to commercialise his hacking. He reckons that licensing out his own implementation of the FairPlay DRM is not illegal, since he will be offering products that add DRM, rather than circumvent it. While Apple did mention that they would not take legal action against the company, Jobs has warned that other companies may not be that keen on DoubleTwist's methods.

DRM-buster DVD Jon has a new target in his sights, and it's a big piece of fruit. He has reverse-engineered Apple's Fairplay and is starting to license it to companies who want their media to play on Apple's devices. Instead of breaking the DRM (something he's already done), Jon has replicated it, and wants to license the technology to companies that want their content (music, movies, whatever) to play on Apple devices. This may not be good news for iTunes the store, but it could make the iPod even more popular.

Jon Lech Johansen became famous for hacking encrypted DVDs so they would play in Linux when he was 15, making him the target of criminal charges for which he was eventually acquitted.

For further background on Joh, the full article on GigaOM can be read here.

As Apple has no intention of opening up its DRM to third party content providers, it is interesting to see Jon to take on the risky job of taking on this challenge. Jon is not the first to develop a compatible version of Apple's FairPlay DRM, as Real Networks has previously created its own FairPlay DRM alternative to allow its music store buyers to transfer their music to the iPod. But then again, Real Networks claims that they did not technically reverse engineer Apple's DRM system. While the company still offers iPod support for its Rhapsody store, it does not offer support for its unlimited "To-Go" subscription plan, likely due to the inability of enforcing song expiration.

Unfortunately, with all the publicity already about Jon breaking both the DVD and FairPlay copy protection, this may actually put off companies from taking on his alternative copy protection technology for the iPod. For example, even the average consumer would know better than to buy a combination safe from a supplier that also will happily provide anyone with a universal combination that opens any of their safes!

Source: GigaOM