02.16.05
Apple, Napster Swap Jabs Over Security Flaws
Apple, Napster Swap Jabs Over Security Flaws
Apparently, [[[Steve Jobs]]] sent a message to top record industry executives directing them to “a Web page detailing how to convert [[[Napster]]]’s rental tunes into permanent downloads.” I’m not sure what page he is refering to but it could be something like All-Streaming-Media.
Napster CEO Chris Gorog jabbed back by pointing out that the same technique could be used to capture [[[iTunes]]] music and in fact, it’s even easier to unlock most iTunes downloads using hymn. Hymn is open-source, free software that attempts to remove the Digital Rights Management (DRM) from [[[Apple]]]’s [[[AAC]]] files. Of course once the DRM is removed, users can swap files with their friends or move the music on to (unauthorized) machines.
There has been an ongoing battle between Apple and hymn. I can’t believe that Jobs would be so dense as to throw rocks from his glass house. I thought Steve was smarter than that.