MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-10-13 |
| FROM | From: "Inker, Evan"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Firm drops suit against grad's CD hack
|
Firm drops suit against grad's CD hack
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/10/13/media.sunncomm.reut/index.html
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) --A software company, citing academic
freedom, has backed away from a threat to sue a Princeton student who
published details on how to thwart its CD copy-protection technology.
Peter Jacobs, the chief executive of SunnComm Technologies Inc. , said
Friday the company disputed the conclusion by Princeton student Alex
Halderman that its software was "irreparably flawed," but would not pursue
the matter because it did not want to chill academic research.
Halderman, who is working on a doctorate in computer science, posted a paper
on his Web site earlier this week detailing the ways SunnComm's MediaMax
software could be defeated. These included simply holding down the "Shift"
key on a keyboard, while loading the disc in to a CD drive.
SunnComm did not contest that finding, but earlier said the paper cost the
company more than $10 million in market capitalization.
"R&D is our life," Jacobs said. "It wasn't our intention to strike a blow
against research. We sincerely thought that the research was not founded on
the premise for which the technology was invented in the first place."
Trying to discourage copiers
Earlier this year, Phoenix-based SunnComm and BMG, a unit of the German
conglomerate Bertelsmann AG , signed a deal for BMG to license SunnComm's
MediaMax CD-3 copy protection software.
The music industry, faced with slumping CD sales it blames on digital
piracy, has actively sought new technologies to cut down on what it sees as
rampant copying of compact discs and the sharing of those files online.
In late September, BMG's Arista label released "Comin' From Where I'm From,"
a CD from singer Anthony Hamilton. It was the first major release using the
SunnComm software.
In his Web posting, Halderman also explained how to stop the driver that the
MediaMax software installs on a computer when the CD is first played,
leaving the user free to copy the disc.
SunnComm said Thursday it would sue Halderman and urge felony charges
against him for alleged violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Change of heart
But Jacobs said he had a change of heart.
"I'm looking at the big picture," Jacobs said. "I'm feeling better already.
(The research) doesn't dilute our technology at all, nor does it nullify our
technology."
Halderman's graduate advisor at Princeton is Ed Felten, a well-known
academic who once filed suit against the Recording Industry Association of
America after the record industry trade group suggested it would use the
DMCA to prosecute Felten for publishing a paper on flaws in an
industry-devised digital security system.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has led the charge against the
DMCA, also spoke out against SunnComm.
"What more proof do you need that the DMCA is chilling legitimate research?"
EFF senior attorney Fred von Lohmann said in a statement.
Drama or comedy?
"In America today, scientists shouldn't have to fear legal action for
publishing the truth. Based on the apparent weakness of its technology,
perhaps SunnComm should be hiring more Princeton computer scientists,
instead of threatening to sue them."
Jacobs, whose company counts the Chinese government as a minority investor,
argued the dispute came down to a misunderstanding over the intent of his
software.
"The problem was that he declared this an unrepairable flaw and that was the
part that really hurt us," he said. "He was reviewing a drama when we were
writing a comedy."
****************************************************************************
This message contains confidential information and is intended only
for the individual or entity named. If you are not the named addressee
you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.
Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received
this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.
E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free
as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive
late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not
accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this
message which arise as a result of e-mail transmission.
If verification is required please request a hard-copy version.
This message is provided for informational purposes and should not
be construed as an invitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or
related financial instruments.
GAM operates in many jurisdictions and is
regulated or licensed in those jurisdictions as required.
****************************************************************************
____________________________
NYLXS: New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
NYLXS is a trademark of NYLXS, Inc
|
|
