Company offers workaround for Sony's CD copy protection

Iria · Jun 20, 2005, 08:35 PM

Indianapolis (IN) - A simple mechanical way for Windows users to defeat SunnComm's MediaMaxx copy protection scheme, used widely in audio CDs produced by Sony BMG, is being offered on request via e-mail by SunnComm itself, the company's vice president of marketing and sales, Scott Stoegbauer, told Tom's Hardware Guide today.

The scheme was developed by SunnComm through its MediaMaxx division in order to prevent listeners on Windows-based PCs from easily making copies of audio CD-based music as MP3 files. Other software currently produced by SunnComm does enable legitimate copies to be made in Windows Media format (WMV), which cannot be (easily) burned to CD.

The workaround itself is not new; in fact, it's the same simple system published by a Princeton college student in the fall of 2003 as a demonstration of how easy protection schemes are to defeat. That year, SunnComm threatened to sue the student, and later withdrew the threat after the Electronic Frontier Foundation pledged to support his legal defense. So SunnComm's decision represents a change of heart, as Stoegbauer explained: "We want to make it possible for people to use music in an authorized fashion." Authorizing customers, stated Stoegbauer, will also assure the company that they are using recognized software with strong digital rights management services, such as Microsoft's Windows Media Player 10.

What prompted SunnComm to make the workaround information available on request, stated Stoegbauer, has been an ongoing delay in Apple reaching an agreement with record labels - including Sony BMG - with regard to an official understanding or implicit license for iPod users to copy CD-based songs onto their mobile units. The final step in these negotiations, stated Stoegbauer, "is the record labels arriving at an understanding with Apple, so Apple supports it on their side. We are waiting for Apple and the labels to work out the arrangements and the agreements to support our technology... In the meantime, it wouldn't be very fair to take a user that's bought one of these CDs, and force them to not be able to use the music the way they used it without our technology." The average user, he stated, will accept his company's end-user license agreement when the company gives them options for making better use of their "fair use" of audio CD content.

__________
Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware Guide

Jun 20, 2005, 08:35 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Company offers workaround for Sony's CD copy protection Indianapolis (IN) - A simple mechanical way for Windows users to defeat SunnComm's MediaMaxx copy protection scheme, used widely in audio CDs produced by Sony BMG, is being offered on request via e-mail by SunnComm itself, the company's vice president of marketing and sales, Scott Stoegbauer, told Tom's Hardware Guide today. The scheme was developed by SunnComm through its MediaMaxx division in order to prevent listeners on Windows-based PCs from easily making copies of audio CD-based music as MP3 files. Other software currently produced by SunnComm does enable legitimate copies to be made in Windows Media format (WMV), which cannot be (easily) burned to CD. The workaround itself is not new; in fact, it's the same simple system published by a Princeton college student in the fall of 2003 as a demonstration of how easy protection schemes are to defeat. That year, SunnComm threatened to sue the student, and later withdrew the threat after the Electronic Frontier Foundation pledged to support his legal defense. So SunnComm's decision represents a change of heart, as Stoegbauer explained: "We want to make it possible for people to use music in an authorized fashion." Authorizing customers, stated Stoegbauer, will also assure the company that they are using recognized software with strong digital rights management services, such as Microsoft's Windows Media Player 10. What prompted SunnComm to make the workaround information available on request, stated Stoegbauer, has been an ongoing delay in Apple reaching an agreement with record labels - including Sony BMG - with regard to an official understanding or implicit license for iPod users to copy CD-based songs onto their mobile units. The final step in these negotiations, stated Stoegbauer, "is the record labels arriving at an understanding with Apple, so Apple supports it on their side. We are waiting for Apple and the labels to work out the arrangements and the agreements to support our technology... In the meantime, it wouldn't be very fair to take a user that's bought one of these CDs, and force them to not be able to use the music the way they used it without our technology." The average user, he stated, will accept his company's end-user license agreement when the company gives them options for making better use of their "fair use" of audio CD content. __________ Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware Guide