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Software FairUse4WM Cracks Windows Media DRM, Again
Sven Olsen (Blog) - September 2, 2006 5:25 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 40 comment(s) - last by mino.. on Sep 12 at 2:40 PM
The FairUse4WM creators once again break WM-DRM and this time in record time

Only days after Microsoft patched the FairUse4WM DRM hack, the creators of the program have released an update that once again breaks the restrictions on protected WMA and WMV files. The utility works by stripping the DRM information from protected windows media files allowing users to freely manipulate the files and play them back as they see fit.

The apparently failed update from Microsoft changed the IBX in PlaysForSure rendering v.1.1 useless to users who were forced to update through their content provider. FairUse4WM v.1.2 is backwards compatible with files that have yet to be updated. Unfortunately as of right now the software still doesn’t work Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 UR2 users or for the Windows Media Format 9. Although it only took Microsoft 3 days to issue its first fix it appears that the FairUse4WM creators are still one step ahead of the software giant. 

The cat and mouse DRM game is heating up elsewhere as well. Apple's FairPlay was recently circumvented openly as well.  Yahoo has opted to distribute music without DRM, bypassing the quagmire Apple and Microsoft are currently in. 

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I don't get it
By WxGuy192 on 9/3/2006 1:01:21 AM , Rating: 1
I don't get why people don't understand that buying a song on iTunes or other DRM music site does not give you the rights to copy the song for others, play it on any media you wish, etc. If this upsets you, then don't buy it! I can't understand why others think that once they spend a penny on something, they deserve to own it outright. You know darn well that when you download a song on iTunes, you are only 'renting' the content in accordance with the DRM.

Why do you spend the money on it if you don't like it? Nobody is forcing you to download the song, so it's not like you have no other choice. You don't have some unalienable right to own anyone's intellectual property, beit a piece of artwork, a book, or a song. If you are pissed at media companies for charging $0.99/song and still having restrictions on where it can be played, then don't buy it. It's that simple. Speak with your money, not with your selfish attitude, one for which you think that you ought to be able to do whatever you want with anything you spend money on.

"But musicians and movie actors make so much money"... Sure, and so do the CEOs of Dell, HP, Ford, GE, and Samsung. Why don't you go rent an appliance from some rental store and insist that you now own that appliance.

I don't mean to imply that I think the big media companies are just in their DRM usage. I do think many are taking consumers to the bank, but consumers keep coming back anyway. It's like those people that complain about some TV show, then always come on to talk about how bad the last episode was... If you don't like it, don't watch it! If you don't like the DRM system, then don't buy the dang music. You aren't owed anything.




RE: I don't get it
By QueBert on 9/3/2006 2:48:28 AM , Rating: 2
Thats nonsense, while I agree with you on people shouldn't be able to copy the songs for others. WHY are the customers (us) not given options? I will never buy a song from iTunes, simply because they want to restrict what I do with it. This is an apples to oranges analogy. But imagine going to Burger King and only being able to order a Whopper one way, no subsituations. In that case, you're "you don't have to buy it" mentality comes into play. But, companys should push hard to give the people what they want. And just because a lot of the people don't know any better, doesn't mean companies should shove DRM down our throats.
Now, I'd be all for DRM if it was actually something that was secure and hadn't been hacked (and rehacked) DRM is lousy. And until Apple and whoever else think's it's fair game to deliver the content people want, with an unacceptable protection, I think everyone should bitch.


RE: I don't get it
By WxGuy192 on 9/3/2006 11:03:36 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
But, companys should push hard to give the people what they want.


I agree. Good businesses do work to give people what they want -- it's a good way to maximize sales.

But my point is that if businesses want to give us (consumers) crappy choices, then that's their loss! We don't need to buy these crappy DRM files. That's how business works -- eventually, if they want to maximize sales, they give solutions that consumers are willing to spend money on. If all Ford vehicles were poorly designed and unreliable, people would speak with their money. Soon enough, Ford would realize that, in order to stay in business, they would need to change their designs, way of selling, etc. Stealing cars and justifying it by saying "these cars are crap anyway" (which I hear a lot about music -- "why would I want to spend money on that when it's all crap; give us something good for change") is not the right way to go about things.

And buying music is nothing like saying "I don't like our govt, so I'm moving to a different country". Music is entertainment! The comparison of not buying a DRM song vs. moving to a different country is ridiculous. It's not rocket science, and it's not difficult.


RE: I don't get it
By Kalessian on 9/3/2006 3:32:01 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah seriously, who are WE individuals to tell a big corporation what to do? Once in a while they try to grace us with some products they think we might like, and we get a little picky. Sheesh.

It's just like gas if you think about it. They could charge us $5/gallon if they wanted! If you don't like the price of gas, then why don't you walk to work you lazies!

In fact, I don't like some of the moves my government is making. I think it's time to speak with my money and move to some other country.

Wow, not trying to make things better and all that phooey nonsense is so easy!


RE: I don't get it
By PrinceGaz on 9/3/2006 8:39:54 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
It's just like gas if you think about it. They could charge us $5/gallon if they wanted! If you don't like the price of gas, then why don't you walk to work you lazies!

I think a lot of motorists here in the UK would be very happy if they did charge $5/gallon.

A UK gallon is equivalent to about 1.2 US gallons but fuel is sold in litres anyway, at a cost of about 95p/litre (£3.60/US gallon) which at current exchange rates is about US$6.86/gallon.

I assume from your comment that petrol is a lot less than seven dollars per gallon in the States?


RE: I don't get it
By baseball43v3r on 9/4/2006 12:52:43 AM , Rating: 2
prince its about 3 dollars a gallon in some places right now. over the summer here it got up in the 350s ans '60s. the summer lull is over so it should go back down. and btw people can't walk to work (at least in california) the population here has greatly increased the last couple of years and the trains and buses are nowhere near caught up to get people from the houses to the cities. idk what its like in other places but hours would have to change greatly and huge amounts of efficiency would be lost.


RE: I don't get it
By mino on 9/4/2006 2:01:40 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, that's the reason US pushes for oil so much.

Europe (and generally most of the world) has pretty efficient masss transport systems however the whole US economy is build around cheap OIL.
The time this will change is near and those comming high prices on oil will hurt US the most.


RE: I don't get it
By mindless1 on 9/5/2006 3:43:31 PM , Rating: 2
Put it in perspective though, the US is a wider expanse. I suspect if you lived in the US your annual mileage would be higher. What's the average daily commute in the UK by car? Part of why the US doesn't have the great transportation systems is the longer distances.


RE: I don't get it
By mino on 9/12/2006 2:40:12 PM , Rating: 2
Actually the mass transportation systems are more efficient the longer the distances.
Riding 2hrs to work and back is a far worse hassle the traveling 2hrs a day by train. Not to mention the train usually does the same distance by 1hr time. Same with subway.


RE: I don't get it
By european on 9/5/2006 8:57:56 PM , Rating: 2
In Norway the gasoline cost 7.16 $ a gallon (US). We're more concerned with our electric bill, since power now is at 0.13 $ per kWh. And a normal house uses 20-30000 kWh's a year. If i was american, i could heat my house with gasoline, cheap gasoline STOLEN from Iraq.
Open your eyes and you shall see.

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2005/crud...


Good thing...
By jamesbond007 on 9/2/2006 8:16:28 PM , Rating: 5
I like to think that we live in a world without limits in most areas of society. Rules and laws still apply, but I think DRM will take the path that prohibition took. At least Yahoo listens to customer requests. Hopefully Yahoo's decision will help curtail Microsoft and Apple's efforts to enforce the DRM movement.




RE: Good thing...
By Hypernova on 9/3/2006 12:24:03 AM , Rating: 2
Ditto, the best solution to a problem is not to have one in the first place.


RE: Good thing...
By xsilver on 9/3/2006 12:46:38 AM , Rating: 2
true although companies will argue that the problem is that they are losing revenue.
consumers will argue that their rights are being infringed.

so which party has the problem?

also, which large media outlets have this MS drm in place, I havent noticed any as yet...


RE: Good thing...
By trabpukcip on 9/3/06, Rating: 0
$$$
By headbox on 9/2/2006 8:43:41 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder how much the big dogs spend on DRM technology.




RE: $$$
By stmok on 9/2/2006 9:24:41 PM , Rating: 3
Its quite a bit apparently...But its more than monetary cost though, when you try to restrict people in what they can do, and once they become annoyed and aware of its limitations, they'll go elsewhere. (And you've lost the people that you depend on for a profit).

From what I've seen so far, NO DRM technology has been successful in winning the audience over. It gets worse when such technologies can also be exploited such that it can make an entire OS vulnerable to security issues. (recall the infamous Sony Rootkit case). In such cases, it becomes more costly, as now you need a Marketing/PR department doing "damage control". Then there's also the very likelyhood of people sueing you for your DRM implementation. So you need a legal department!

The problem is, corporations are trying to resist change, they still believe in their old models of making a profit. They are not reacting quickly enough to the dynamic nature of the Internet. They're doing really stupid things, just to protect their profits. They should be stepping back and exploring new ways that work well with the Internet...Not implement draconian style technology to control their customers!

In the case of RIAA, they're sueing people and getting lawyers onto websites that Index, etc files. Essentially, its nothing but a fear mongering campaign. (Haven't you noticed the people they catch for sharing on P2P are non-techie or no-clue PC users? Notice how the RIAA releases press releases as soon as a P2P site is raided? Its all part of a scare campaign!)

Unfortunately for them, its essentially backfiring! The numbers of P2P users are actually increasing! Instead of falling!

So much so, that even Yahoo is trialing a non-DRM'ed music service. Granted, it costs more than an iTunes song, but there doesn't seem to be any limitations, once you paid for the song.


DRM technology doesn't lead to happiness and I highly suspect that its being promoted as some "miracle cure" for the corporations. (Its a known fact that RIAA has no f**king idea of how to handle P2P, that's why they're doing all this nonsense!)

In reality, DRM costs more than not having it. Being smart about how to make a profit with new opportunities is far more cheaper than spending money on implementations that are often overcome or drives your customers away. Granted, you can't get rid of piracy with 100% effectiveness, but when is the line drawn with DRM? Do we start complaining when chips are a mandatory part of our lives? (as in implants that control what we can or cannot watch?)

Sure, I reside in Australia, and our rules are very different to the USA, but the fundamental issue of balancing making a profit and providing sufficient freedom to the user is actually a worldwide problem for all content providers.

Cracks like these are clearly a message to content providers. People don't want DRM. They demand the flexibility of the content to put it where ever they want, no matter how many times. Flexibility doesn't necessarily mean it should be free, charge an acceptable price on it that people are willing to pay, and they'll be coming in droves.

Only morons think DRM is actually a good idea.


RE: $$$
By Sharky974 on 9/4/06, Rating: 0
RE: $$$
By littlejim68 on 9/3/2006 4:43:25 PM , Rating: 2
I can completely understand the people that are angry over DRM. But I can not be that excited about it because I know market forces will prevail and wipe out DRM. Its not the crackers with their programs that hurt DRM, not the P2P networks either. It’s the two people sitting down over lunch chatting casually.

John Doe “Have you heard the new ‘Hit Band’ song that came out last week?” Jane Doe, “no not yet, wanted to, but I have to get the balance down on my credit card first.” John, “I got it from Pete last night, his player and mine have blue tooth and he flashed it to me.” Jane “oh that’s nice, my player doesn’t do that.”

Bring market forces into the above situation, John and Jane have no idea what DRM, all they know is they like to listen to a song. One open player open media will get the song heard, the other hampers it. The one thing the media industry lives and dies by, getting their product heard.

Here is my prediction for music industry 5 years from now. Billboards with links to webpage’s where all of top bands songs can be downloaded, free without DRM. Why? Because they need their songs heard and will do anything to get it. Sure you have the big three music publishers crying foul now but and a handful of computer geeks fighting it. It’s the market forces of people that don’t even know what DRM is that will kill DRM.

The cracks are already in the wall, sit back and enjoy the flood waters pour through.


By vhx500 on 9/4/2006 7:50:46 PM , Rating: 2
DRM (as per the EFF) = Digital Restrictions Management


By vhx500 on 9/4/2006 7:51:28 PM , Rating: 2
Wait, I think it was the FSF (Free Software Foundation)...