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Topic: Hardware

Microsoft blocks FairUse4WM v2 after 3 months of DRM free music

Summary: Just over a year ago when hacker “Viodentia" wrote FairUse4WM and broke Microsoft's Windows Media DRM scheme wide open, Microsoft responded with record urgency in a mere 3 days. But when Viodentia came back as "Divine Tao" and wrote a second major revision of FairUse4WM this July and broke Microsoft's Windows DRM scheme wide open again, Microsoft didn't seem to be as concerned and spent their usual 3 months to patch the issue.

George Ou

By George Ou for Real World IT |

Just over a year ago when hacker “Viodentia" wrote FairUse4WM and broke Microsoft's Windows Media DRM scheme wide open, Microsoft responded with record urgency in a mere 3 days. But when Viodentia came back as "Divine Tao" and wrote a second major revision of FairUse4WM this July and broke Microsoft's Windows DRM scheme wide open again, Microsoft didn't seem to be as concerned and spent their usual 3 months to patch the issue. As of the last patch Tuesday, the current version of FairUse4WM no longer works so the ball is in the hacker's court again to break Microsoft's latest DRM revision.

Services like Napster, and the recently shut Urge service all rely on Microsoft's Windows Media protection scheme for their music subscription services. The instant you stop paying the monthly subscription fee, all the music that you've downloaded stop working. If you can just rip out the DRM protection in a matter of seconds for a hundred songs, then one could conceivably download the entire music library in a month's time, rip out the DRM, and have all the music indefinitely.

This is precisely what FairUse4WM can do though it was written for paying customers who wanted to have more flexibility with there music. There are many portable music playback devices that support the Windows Media format but not Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM scheme. So even if you are a paying customer, your music won't work on many of those devices and it can be a frustrating experience for consumers. For those customers who wish exercise their fair use rights, they'll have to go back to the old analog method of converting their music until the next version of FairUse4WM comes out.

Topics: Hardware, Microsoft, Mobility, Operating Systems, Security, Software, Windows

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17 comments
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  • You have to love Tit for Tat battles

    Spam is another great example, just on the flip side. The consumer is trying to keep something stopped whereas with Microsoft, they are trying to keep something stopped here.

    It's always more fun when you are the one trying to break the other person's toy.
    nucrash
    Reply Vote

    • What's with the stars

      "T i t" is a bad word? In this context it's an verb not a slang noun. And this is why content filters don't work!
      voska
      Reply Vote

      • Much Agreed

        Had I known that word was going to be hit by the filter, I would have germanized it or hyphenated it. Instead, I suppose I am saying azz or be-atch or phuck or she-it. The best part is that this message may soon be deleted because I bypassed the filters.

        It's 9:39 CDT on October 29th. Anyone care to wager on how long this stays posted?
        nucrash
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft blocks FairUse4WM v2 after 3 months of DRM free music

    "So even if you are a paying customer, your music won???t work on many of those devices and it can be a frustrating experience for consumers. For those customers who wish exercise their fair use rights, they???ll have to go back to the old analog method of converting their music until the next version of FairUse4WM comes out."



    What did you expect? Pay for it, you MAY be allowed to use it. So much for doing things the honest way.
    nwoodson@...
    Reply Vote

    • mp3

      Here's what you COULD do..... get the old version of FairUse4WM. Borrow a copy of someone's XP CD. Install VirtualPC and install XP on that. Now you have a very early build of XP and can install FairUse4WM on it. Convert all your purchased WMAs to un-DRM'd WMAs and start buying from Amazon instead because they sell 256kbps VBR MP3 files.
      lauren.glenn@...
      Reply Vote

  • Does this even matter anymore?

    With Apple and Amazon both offering DRM free tunes for 99 cents or less does Microsoft's DRM being broken and fix really mean anything these days? I think the ship has sailed on this issue already and Microsoft really should wake up and smell the coffee here. DRM is out.
    voska
    Reply Vote

    • Probably why they waited 3 months to fix it.

      NT
      Been_Done_Before
      Reply Vote

  • DRM is an acronym for greed

    "The instant you stop paying the monthly subscription fee, all the music that you???ve downloaded stop working".

    Only a jibbering fool would sign up for this in the first place. The longer you are a subscriber, the greater the leverage the company have over you. This thinking is from the same mindset that bought you sterile crop seeds, which force 3rd world farmers to pay stinking rich 1st world industrialists for the seeds of their food crops every year. It is legalised theft. Greed driven corporate America advertising again the dreadful consequences of the "free market economy" they'd like to see inflicted on the rest of the world.
    whisperycat
    Reply Vote

    • How is it an Acronym for greed?

      I can't figure that one out and I am usually pretty good at that game?

      Don't Rob Me?

      Dominate Records and Movies?
      Devouring Rights of Musicians?
      Done Raided Machines?
      Dually Reaping Money?

      I guess that last one is as close as I can get to being an acronym for greed.
      nucrash
      Reply Vote

      • Determined to Receive Money?

        Destined to Receive Money
        Detrimental to Random Majority
        Been_Done_Before
        Reply Vote

        • Don't Remind Me

          Didn't Really Make an effort.

          Thank you for playing, we should try this again some time.

          in fact, I think this should be a blogger initiated game.
          nucrash
          Reply Vote

          • Yea i know.. its brilliant

            :)
            Been_Done_Before
            Reply Vote

          • Darn Redmond Monopoly

            Could have used a stronger word, but children should be allowed to play this game also :)
            GuidingLight
            Reply Vote

          • Due Royalties to Microsoft

            Don't Rip Music
            Don't Rip Movies
            Don't Rip Media

            Doesn't Really Mind
            Determined RIAA and MPAA

            Darned Rich Media

            Done Restricted Machine

            I think I could do this all day.
            nucrash
            Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft blocks FairUse4WM v2 after 3 months of DRM free music

    ... Or, like me, you set your Windows Update to notify but not install, and you never bother to install the associated update - thus leaving you to de-DRM to your heart's content!

    (Or until your provider forces a DRM update via the service).
    ChristopherWoods
    Reply Vote

    • ok

      But why would you need to do that if you don't illegally steal DRM music? ;)

      Lauren
      lauren.glenn@...
      Reply Vote

  • Microsoft blocks Fair....STOP

    That's a fair statement. Microsoft blocks
    anything that is FAIR.

    They think FAIR means giving them money.
    their WGA means "we get all" (your money).
    Ole Man
    Reply Vote
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