Oct
10
2003

foiled again

I really wonder if all these copy-protection schemes being tested by the record industry are really worth all the trouble. Early attempts at copy protection, tested abroad, produced CDs that consumers found were incompatible with some players, and which could not be played on a computer. Another attempt last year was circumvented by a Sharpie or Post-It. (Slashdot: “Felt Tip Marker Defeats Copy-Protected CDs” - 05/22/2002)

What foiled the most recent public attempt? The “Shift” key. (San Jose Mercury News: “Student skirts CD’s piracy guard” - 10/08/03)

In a paper posted on his Web site Monday, graduate student John Halderman, 22, said he got around restrictions built into the CD Comin’ From Where I’m From, by Anthony Hamilton, a soulful R&B artist. The CD, released by BMG’s Arista Records last month, was heavily promoted as the first to use copy-management technology. Software included on the CD limited consumers to burning only three regular copies or to sending promotional copies that timed out after 10 days.

But Halderman managed to stop the software from installing itself on his PC.

“In practice, many users who try to copy the disc will succeed without even noticing that it’s protected, and all others can bypass the protections with as little as a single key stroke,” he wrote.

Users simply have to hold down the shift key every time they insert the CD to bypass the copy-protection software.

• Halderman’s report
• Slashdot discussion

Posted at 10:32 AM in music, technology

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Wired reports that Halderman’s project may get him in legal hot water, as SunnComm Technologies, the company that produced the copy-protection technology he was able to so easily circumvent, is threatening to sue him for violating the DMCA. Meanwhile, DMCA critics are using Halderman’s case as a perfect example of why the law should be rewritten. (“Shift-Key Case Rouses DMCA Foes” - 10/11/03)

John “Alex” Halderman discovered that by simply pressing the Shift key when loading a copy-protected music CD into a computer’s hard drive, he could disable SunnComm Technologies’ MediaMax CD-3 software, which is supposed to prevent CDs from being ripped.

He published his finding on his website. On Wednesday, shortly after the disclosure, SunnComm’s stock plummeted 25 percent. The company then threatened to sue the student, charging him with violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA.

Under the law, it is illegal to bypass any technology measure in place that protects copyright material — perhaps even by pressing the Shift key.

Critics say it’s the absurdity of the unforeseen consequences of the DMCA, as in Halderman’s case, that necessitates a change in the law. The DMCA goes too far and sends a chilling effect through the academic community, they say.

“The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, though intended to stop digital piracy, is being used to squelch legitimate research,” said Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “If no one is allowed to examine and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies, then these technologies will not improve.”

Posted by alykat on October 12, 2003 9:51 AM

Halderman’s college newspaper follows up with a report that SunnComm is backing away from its threat to sue Halderman under the DMCA (Daily Princetonian: “Threat of lawsuit passes for student” - 10/10/03)

SunnComm Technologies, Inc. announced yesterday morning it would sue first-year graduate student John Halderman over his recent critique of the company’s new CD copy-protection method, but by the end of the day SunnComm president and CEO Peter Jacobs said he changed his mind.

Jacobs said in an interview late last night that a successful lawsuit would do little to reverse the damage done by the paper Halderman published Monday about his research, and any suit would likely hurt the research community by making computer scientists think twice about researching copy-protection technology.

“I don’t want to be the guy that creates any kind of chilling effect on research,” Jacobs said.

(Link found via Slashdot.)

Posted by alykat on October 12, 2003 10:07 AM

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