Copyleft: the magazine

In a move that has riled even the most levelheaded of bloggers out there, Microsoft has decided to shut off the authentication servers for its dead MSN Music service, essentially flipping the bird to anyone who bought music from them. The nuts and bolts go something like this. PlaysForSure requires an authentication key to play music files and you have to have a new key every time you move a file to a new device or computer. Without the servers, which are expected to be shut down on August 31, consumers will no longer be able to move music to their portable audio players or any other PC, essentially condemning them to leaving the files on whatever computer they bought them on. This includes making it impossible to play that music if you upgrade your OS as well (possibly to Linux, just out of spite). That’s right, the DRM scheme that promised to be better than iTunes (but just barely) by allowing you to move your music to a bunch of different music players now can’t even do that. The only option, as Ars Technica pointed out, is the same bad one that is available to most people stuck in a bad DRM nightmare: burn all your music to CD, then re-rip. Weak.

(via Ars Technica and Wired)

Microsoft is not going to be very happy about this one. Ars Technica and Endgadget are reporting this afternoon that a member of the Doom9 forums has posted a new fix for FairUse4WM that breaks Microsoft’s DRM for Vista and Zune. Ars has tested the fix and it looks like it is legit. Interestingly, the author of the new fix is going by the name “Divine Tao” which, Ars Technica’s Ken Fisher rightly notes is an anagram for “Viodentia”, the original author of the Microsoft DRM cracking FairUse4WM program (also an anagram for “deviation” and “di neovita”, if you really want to go there). However, for the moment, it looks like all you kids have a new means of liberating your music files from that pesky DRM. That is, until Microsoft puts out a fix and starts trying to sue people based solely on their user names again (which, we might point out, isn’t working too well for the RIAA).

(from Ars Technica and Doom 9)

Engadget reported this weekend that Microsoft has voluntarily dropped its lawsuit against FairUse4WM creator Viodentia. Of course, according to the motion to dismiss Engadget has posted on its site, the lawsuit has been “without prejudice”, mostly, it appears, because the software giant can’t seem to find the actual person they were trying to sue. So, even though this particular lawsuit is dead, Microsoft is reserving the right to re-file claims against anyone associated with the PlaysForSure DRM-stripping software, including Viodentia, if they ever find them.

Unfortunately, this means little for all of you out there eager to copy your Musicmatch, Napster or Urge tracks without all that DRM hassle, particularly if Microsoft goes ahead with reported plans to ditch PlaysForSure for a new DRM scheme. However, it is a small victory for those who are working to free your media files from DRM bondage and attempting to allow you to exercise your rights under the fair use doctrine set out in sections 107, 108 and 117 of U.S. copyright law (Title 17, Chapter 1). Or whatever it is you do with your copied songs…

(from Engadget)