Tags: Apple

Apple updates iTunes to disable PyMusique hack

Apple is quite strict about the freedom users get with their purchased songs from their iTunes Digital Music Store. They do so by locking the songs with their digital rights management. However, a group of programmers released an application last week, which let the users buy songs from the iTunes Music Store without any DRM. One of the famed developers involved with PyMusique application is the original developer of the DeCSS DVD decryption utility Jon Lech Johansen.

Apple has as usual acted fast and fixed this backdoor disabling the ability of the PyMusique to purchase songs without any copy protection. For this, they had to update their iTunes application, which means that many users would have to upgrade in order to continue purchasing any new songs from their store. The company said in a statement: “The security hole in the iTunes Music Store which was recently exploited has been closed, and as a consequence the iTunes Music Store will now sell music only to customers using iTunes version 4.7″.

The Macintosh Computer makers have been quite active in the recent years to protect their rights on the Internet. They have sued computer manufacturers and even online magazines with success to protect their products and inside information. And they have been working hard to keep their iPod and iTunes at the top of their individual markets.

Apple has in fact upgraded their Digital Music application iTunes many times in the past to keep such attempts at bay. They have even survived scares posed from rivals like RealNetworks. The company however for the time being has declined to say whether they are planning to sue the developers of PyMusique. We really will not be surprised if they indeed do that…