The new program, called PyMusique, allows iTunes subscribers to purchase and re-download tracks that are free of Apple’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) copyright protection. These songs become DRM-free AAC files that can be copied, burned or transferred.
Created by Travis Watkins, Cody Brocious and Jon Johansen, the new software is available in Windows version and Linux, which is written using the Python language. The same group developed the DVD Content Scrambling System to decrypt DVDs.
There are however legal concerns over this new hacking system. Reports have pointed out that it may bypass Apple’s FairPlay copy protection system, which goes against Europe’s European Union Copyright Directive (EUCD). It is also a breach of the terms and conditions laid down by iTMS, the software that produces DRM, that users must adhere to when setting up an account.
However, as PyMusique accesses the file before the DRM is usually applied, it doesn’t actually bypass the copy protection code.
Apple is expected to counter-attack with patches to thwart hackers.
