James Delahunty
22 Nov 2005 19:58
A California-based company has revealed that it plans to hack Apple's FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology and then offer a product that will allow other companies to sell music that will work with an iPod. FairPlay is the DRM technology used on iTunes purchased tracks. Songs bought through iTunes will only plan on an iPod or a Motorola ROKR phone. Apple simply refuses to license its DRM technology to third parties.
This gives Apple a huge advantage over the rest of the digital music market. Firstly they have the biggest selling MP3 player and then secondly the most successful music download service. If someone wants their iTunes music on a portable device, they need an iPod, and if they have an iPod and want to buy music downloads, they need iTunes. It's a win/win situation for Apple. If this company succeeds, other music stores may offer songs compatible with iPods.
This wont be the first time that this has happened though. Last year, RealNetworks failed to convince Apple to license its DRM technology, and decided to use "other methods" to offer songs to iPod owners. Apple accused Real of cracking and eventually released a software update for iPods that blocked the music that came from Real. There have also been other projects that allowed users to purchase music from iTunes that didn't contain any DRM protection at all - it was completely limit free.
Apple's grip on FairPlay has also managed to anger music labels as many more copy protected CDs are being produced. Sony BMG blamed Apple for consumers not being able to store music from some of their distributed CDs on their iPods and demanded that Apple license the FairPlay technology. However, just days ago, EMI announced that it would soon release CDs that will be "iPod compatible".
Navio Systems, the California-based company determined to crack FairPlay, agrees with the approach that Real took to offer music to iPod owners. "Typically, we embrace and want to work with the providers of the DRM," said Ray Schaaf, Navio's chief operating officer. "With respect to FairPlay, right now Apple doesn't license that, so we take the view that as RealNetworks allows users to buy FairPlay songs on Rhapsody, we would take the same approach."
Source:
BoingBoing