[Lion7718]

Source: CNET

DVD Jon is at it again. But this time, he's in it for the money.

Jon Johansen, the 20-something hacker widely known for helping crack the piracy protections on DVDs several years ago, is taking on Apple Computer again. He has reverse-engineered Apple's FairPlay, the digital rights management technology used to make iPod and iTunes a closed system.

As reported earlier, the Norwegian has started DoubleTwist Ventures to license his work. The technology will make other online music stores work with Apple's iPod device and let iTunes songs play on gadgets other than the iPod, said Monique Farantzos, Johansen's business associate and DoubleTwist co-founder.

Farantzos said she made contact with Johansen after reading a profile of him in The Wall Street Journal. The pair sees a business in making digital media interoperable. They started working on this in the spring and are now talking publicly about it. The first customer has signed on, though its name is not being disclosed.

If successful, DoubleTwist could break through the wall Apple has built around its music business. Farantzos, a biophysicist by training but now into technology business development, talked about the company's plans and challenges with CNET News.com.

Interview

[BLACK_MAGE]

Apple and the RIAA are going to hate this. i bet that apple will reles an update to the ipod so that it will be a closed system in three day after he releases his work.

Apple: you need to update your iPod so that it will not be conpatible with other file or player.

Consumer: H**l no!!!

[greffov]

yep it's bad... for the consumer that is.