Stripper Creates Headaches for Microsoft
Aug 29th, 2006 | By James Lewin | Category: Digital MusicMicrosoft is moving quickly to respond to FairUse4WM, a free program which threatens to undermine Microsoft-based online music service offerings.
FairUse4WM, a so-called DRM-stripper, lets users remove the rights management software from music downloads in Microsoft’s Windows Media DRM (digital rights management) 10 and 11. The formats are used by many online music services to enforce limits on the use and distribution of downloaded music.
The application makes it possible for users of services like Napster, which offer unlimited downloads, to remove encryption, so that downloaded files can be used even if the music service is cancelled. It also lets users move the files to iPods and other unsupported devices.
FairUse4WM was originally posted to a forum devoted to using software to maintain traditional fair-use rights.
According to the poster, viodentia, “This program is ONLY designed and intended to enable fair-use rights to PURCHASED media.”
Microsoft is likely to leapfrog FairUse4WM by updating vendor’s tools for encrypting audio files and through Windows system updates.
FairUse4WM was originally posted to a forum and has since been mirrored in many locations.
