Jon Lech Johansen, the infamous cracker of CSS (the encryption used for commercial DVDs), has done it again (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2082): He's been working on a software called PyMusique (http://fuware.nanocrew.net/pymusique/) - The fair interface to the iTunes Music Store. Jon:

PyMusique is an interface to the iTunes Music Store that lets you preview songs, sign up for an account and buy songs. It is somewhat interesting from a DMCA/EUCD perspective. The iTunes Music Store actually sells songs without DRM. While iTunes adds DRM to your purchases, PyMusique does not. Another difference is that signing up for an account using PyMusique does not require you to sign/click away any of your rights.

Sorry for the picture which portrays Jon at his best time. I know how much it freaks some of you out :D

[via Corante (http://www.corante.com/copyfight/archives/2005/03/17/johansen_creates_drmfree_interface_to_itunes.php)]

Sorry for the picture [...] I know how much it freaks some of you out :DNice story. And, yep, the picture still freaks me out! :)

Poor guy, probably he was just very happy when the picture was taken. Maybe that was the moment when he broke the CSS code ;)

Anyways, The Register has a scoop on the PyMusique story:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/18/itunes_pymusique/

I've got a feeling this isn't that close to legal, since it involves probably breaking some form of iTMS encryption or authentication (to get it to even talk to the iTMS...)... While it's nice idea, it may not last all that long. How much trouble would it be for Apple to make a minor change to their authentication or encryption or whatever they use to stop this from working?

It's over already... Apple released an "upgrade" so that you cannot use PyMusique anymore. Thing is now everyone who wants to buy from iTunes has to upgrade to 4.7.1+ ;(

Funny thing is that now when everyone seems to be down on Jon (e.g. http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000177037004/), I have to give him credit... not only is he very skilled at what he does, but he gave away his code for free. Maybe he just likes the fame, but he could have kept it to himself and a few friends if he was in it for selfishness only. Seems like people are always ready to make prominent people into either a villian or a hero, when they really are more deserving of a place somewhere in between. We're as bad in tech realms as sports fans are when they talk about players and coaches!

Yeah they should be happy that we have people like Jon... anyways, he just released a new version of PyMusique which also knocks off Apple's latest iTunes ;)