Sony Gives Out Workaround to it's Own DRM?
So, this guy emails the makers of the Sony DRM to complain about the inability to use his legally purchased music on his iPod. The reply he gets first tells him to "complain to apple to open up their DRM to third parties" but then goes on to explain how to work around the DRM completely!
Using the obvious technique of ripping the DRM laden tracks using Windows Media Player (as allowed and explained in the DRM's instructions), you can then simply burn the entire album to a new CD... sans DRM. Then you can rip the new CD as normal as many times as you'd like.
As a consumer, I'm just appalled at this. Why have DRM if you give out instructions on how to beat it? Is Sony only doing this to get people to lobby Apple for them???
Sigh.
Using the obvious technique of ripping the DRM laden tracks using Windows Media Player (as allowed and explained in the DRM's instructions), you can then simply burn the entire album to a new CD... sans DRM. Then you can rip the new CD as normal as many times as you'd like.
As a consumer, I'm just appalled at this. Why have DRM if you give out instructions on how to beat it? Is Sony only doing this to get people to lobby Apple for them???
Sigh.
posted by Mike at 9:56 AM
3 Comments:
WMP also lers you rip lossless files, so you can essentially burn a new CD with no loss (theoretically, anyways).
This whole thing is stupid, IMO as well. Sony, apparently is also recalling the DRM'd CDs. I guess a lot of people have complained.
One thing you haven't mentioned was Sony's attitude towards people who complained at the beginning: Essentially it boiled down to "What you don't know can't hurt you." Appalling as well, since this justifies all sorts of spying and privacy issues.
By the way: The makers of the DRM rootkit aren't exactly connected to Sony. I believe they're some small company in the UK (Side question: would the UK still be called the UK if Scotland seceded or if Wales and/or N. Ireland rebelled?).
My post started off saying that the dude wrote "the guys who made the sony drm." I am aware that it isn't Sony.
Regardless, Sony put this crap on their disc. And you can bet there will be a lawsuit forthcoming if the makers of the DRM weren't allowed to give out the work-around.
Cheers
http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?id=31268&category=main
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html
Proof that revealing the files will render your system inpperable.
*sigh* Know what? I've been reading a heck of a lot of American history these past weeks. As my Communications prof from last year ranted, "What happened to the Revolution???"*
*To add context, this was in response to seeing Chairman Mao souvenirs and bartering for a Tsingtao beer while he was in China.
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