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[Xbox-Scene]

Microsoft Sues Viodentia (FairUse4WM) for Copyright Infringement Posted by XanTium | September 26 22:55 EST

From Cnet news.com: Microsoft has filed a federal lawsuit against an alleged hacker who broke through its copy protection technology, charging that the mystery developer somehow gained access to its copyrighted source code. For more than a month, the Redmond, Wash., company has been combating a program released online called FairUse4WM, which successfully stripped anticopying guards from songs downloaded through subscription media services such as Napster or Yahoo Music. Microsoft has released two successive patches aimed at disabling the tool. The first worked--but the hacker, known only by the pseudonym "Viodentia," quickly found a way around the update, the company alleges. Now the company says this was because the hacker had apparently gained access to copyrighted source code unavailable to previous generations of would-be crackers. However, the federal "John Doe" lawsuit, along with "dozens" of legal letters sent to Internet sites that are hosting the allegedly copyright-infringing tool, is a decidedly different tack for Microsoft. The copyright lawsuit was filed in Seattle federal court last Friday, without a name attached. Just as in the recording industry's many lawsuits against accused file swappers, it targets an unknown individual or individuals, whose true identity will be sought in the course of the case. Read More: Cnet news.com

[epsilon72]

Down with DRM, I say.

[iPwn]

QUOTE(epsilon72 @ Sep 27 2006, 03:16 AM)

Down with DRM, I say.

word, my brother

[Andrew_Roy]

Isn't FairUse4WM for movie files? Or is it any media? Or am I thinking of something else?

QUOTE

Just as in the recording industry's many lawsuits against accused file swappers, it targets an unknown individual or individuals, whose true identity will be sought in the course of the case.

I don't know how I feel about that part but it sounds like something should probably be done. I'll need some persuasion otherwise, atleast.

[blame canada]

Its for removing any/all DRM protection on music such as Yahoo, Napster, Rapsody (sp?), etc. On a side note, DAMN, I feel bad for the guy that made this program. Think they would come after Beta testers as well (not saying I beta tested, but ya know (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif))?

This post has been edited by blame canada: Sep 27 2006, 03:23 AM

[xboxexpert]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

[the-ghoul]

Wait until the 360 is fully hacked. They will cut loose the dogs of law.

[Textbook]

In all honestly, the 360 is hacked in the sense that it is hurting the 360 the most.  MORE than any homebrew could.  Piracy is their main problem, and that's already possible.

I've been kind of following this from Digg headlines for the last few weeks.  I remember them asking the site owners to take it down.  They sounded like they meant business.  Obviously they did.  Maybe this is the famed battle between Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law (fair use) and the evil DMCA.  They contradict, so one of them has to be right, one has to be wrong.

So I guess the only real answer is Title 17 ftw!

[enderandrew]

FairUse4WM will only remove the DRM from WMA files if you have a license on your computer for that song.  It is a tool that helps you "fairly use" something that you have a license to use legally.

I hope they can afford to fight MS on this issue.

And I swore on Slashdot I saw an article on how Zune and Urge won't work with the Plays4Sure DRM, and that MS was advocating stripping the DRM from those songs that you puchased earlier for them to work on the Zune.

I don't see how MS can advocate how you have a right to strip DRM to play music on their player, but FairUse4WM is illegal at the same time.

[Andrew_Roy]

QUOTE(enderandrew @ Sep 27 2006, 04:44 AM)

FairUse4WM will only remove the DRM from WMA files if you have a license on your computer for that song.  It is a tool that helps you "fairly use" something that you have a license to use legally.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a license to legally use what you bought from them under their terms and agreements? Which I imagine includes with DRM intact. Also, if copyrighted source code was really accessed then they certaintly have the right to protect that.

QUOTE

And I swore on Slashdot I saw an article on how Zune and Urge won't work with the Plays4Sure DRM, and that MS was advocating stripping the DRM from those songs that you puchased earlier for them to work on the Zune.

That on the other hand is just weird. Hopefully some one finds a link to that.

[quarky42]

Too bad we don't all have a bunch of overpaid lawyers available to sue people that we don't even know or have identification of.

Perhaps then we could bury MicroShaft in a series of frivolous law suits like they seem to be getting geared up for.

Dumb $hit$.


PS:  Once you buy something it is yours.  I don't care what kind of "License" came with it.  You can't "License" music.  It is either yours or it isn't.  Music companies want to try and tell you how when you buy something it is yours only as long as you listen to it the way you want.   DRM protected files take more battery power because they require much more processing power to decode if you happen to have a device that supports them at all.  There are many good reasons to remove DRM including being able to play what you want when you want and how you want it.  

DRM is evil and if there is a way to strip it from files that should be protected.  Making backup copies of your data is allowed and defeating copyright protections for personal usage in home has been protected in the past.  Commercial copyright violation should always be prosecuted to the full extend of the law.  People that sell bootleg materials basically.

[0794]

i didn't know that you can sue mystery people.  at least with the RIAA john doe lawsuits, the identity was kept by the ISP and they had IP addresses to go by.  but with this guy, all that have is his code name with very little information to go by.  seems like they will have to backtrack to find out who uploaded the original program file and from where...kind of like when they track pc virus' origins...this should be interesting

[mike315]

QUOTE(enderandrew @ Sep 26 2006, 11:44 PM)

FairUse4WM will only remove the DRM from WMA files if you have a license on your computer for that song.  It is a tool that helps you "fairly use" something that you have a license to use legally.

Just a quick addition: WMV's also...

[rasstar]

QUOTE(enderandrew @ Sep 27 2006, 04:44 AM)

FairUse4WM will only remove the DRM from WMA files if you have a license on your computer for that song.  It is a tool that helps you "fairly use" something that you have a license to use legally.

I hope they can afford to fight MS on this issue.

And I swore on Slashdot I saw an article on how Zune and Urge won't work with the Plays4Sure DRM, and that MS was advocating stripping the DRM from those songs that you puchased earlier for them to work on the Zune.

I don't see how MS can advocate how you have a right to strip DRM to play music on their player, but FairUse4WM is illegal at the same time.

I subscribed to napster-to-go for unlimited music downloads that I can put on my MP3 player. The price is 14.99 a month and it's a good price for me for unlimited music. Since fairuse4wm came out I downgraded to napser unlimited for 9.99 then I remove the DRM from the music. I don't think it's right and I expect MS to fix this ASAP but for the dude that released it i hope he has money to pay his legal fees.

QUOTE(Andrew_Roy @ Sep 27 2006, 06:00 AM)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a license to legally use what you bought from them under their terms and agreements? Which I imagine includes with DRM intact. Also, if copyrighted source code was really accessed then they certaintly have the right to protect that.
That on the other hand is just weird. Hopefully some one finds a link to that.

You did not buy anything. There is an option if you want to buy the music then it's yours with no DRM. You basically rent the music and as long as you keep the subscription you can continue listening to the music. If you have a compatible MP3 player you have access to unlimited music. Does not work with Ipods as APple locks it to itunes and charge 99 cents a track.

[enderandrew]

The Slashdot article I was talking about is here:

http://yro.slashdot....6/09/19/1342256

The Zune won't play MS's own "Plays4Sure" files.  In order to play the music that you bought legally with MS's promise that it "Plays4Sure" on MS's MP3 player is to strip the DRM from it.

The reason why FairUse4WM needs to exist is to allow you to copy the music you legally own and have a license for to another computer or player.  Without it, you wouldn't even be able to use MS's own MP3 player.