DVD Jon Creates DRM Killer

Firmafest writes to let us know that 'DVD Jon' Lech Johansen's company has released an open beta of DoubleTwist, a desktop application that allows the user to copy media to any device. There's a Facebook app too. The software is available for download at Doubletwistventures.com. Currently only Windows is supported, but a Macintosh version is on the way.

Comments

I wonder who will be first..

[jskline]

I wonder who will be first to be contacting these guys and threatening legal retaliation based on DMCA.

"You can't copy that tune from there to this device. You must pay another fee!"...

Re:I wonder who will be first..

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep, but name a popular "personal computer" before the apple II
A popular mp3 player before the ipod
A popular GUI before the mac's, well lisa's.

I can't do that before checking with wikipedia to see if my vague recollections are correct.

Re:Oh really

[ditoa]

So it is basically doing a software based line-out to line-in (aka loopback) encode? How is this anything special? I have done this for years using nothing but simple audio tools. Or is it doing something more intelligent? (I fail to see how though as it is still lossy -> lossy conversion).

Registration

[lucifig]

The install page doesn't mention anything about having to register for some reason. I think I'll go ahead and pass on that until after the subpoenas come through.

Re:Yes

[moderatorrater]

Of course the whole point is that people can use this to share any kind of media with pretty much anyone It could also be used (and correct me if I'm wrong here, i'm going way out on a limb) for being able to play your music on any device that you want to. Incompatibilities have killed my (legally bought) media before, and that's what I'd use this software for. If I wanted to freely share my any kind of media with anyone else, I'd just download it with limewire or bittorrent.

Re:Oh really

[compro01]

How is this anything special? it's simple, automated, and usable by pretty much anyone.

Just read the license and Priv. statement

[wethion]

Umm.. after reading them relatively carefully, I don't think I'll be using that software. Basically, you give us your info, we update ourselves on what you're doing, we send it to the Cayman Islands and we promise promise promise never to give it to anyone else unless you agree, we're bought, subpoena'd or otherwise compromised. Somehow... I don't think so. Peace.

Same same

[themushroom]

Yes, it does appear to be a centralized way of converting A to B. And contrary to the article title, it does not kill DRM -- it just converts what you rightfully own to another format. You still have to purchase those iTunes songs in order to convert them, you can't just convert what you find on the net, thus is no different than using WMP or iTunes to burn to disk then rip the disks to files (if those two programs don't convert directly to MP3 or your preferred flavor without the intermediary disk step).

Keep trying, Jon, you'll liberate some oppressed music yet. :)

Re:A utility to copy media to any device

[just_another_sean]

I've been using something like this for awhile, its called "dd" (run as root for extra goodness). Yes, DD which, as it's name suggests, makes an exact duplicate of whatever it is copying, including whatever DRM is in the file.

And while there are a lot of tools for stripping DRM available Jon is saying he wants to bring it to the masses. To quote (paraphrase?) "I want your parents to be able to do it".

It's not about hacking DRM because it should all be free, it's not about mass distribution of "pirated" (Arhh!) material, it's about making the exercising of fair use rights by consumers as easy as it was with VHS/Cassettes/CDROM (the real CDROM, the one that is allowed to use the logo).

Re:Windows....Mac.....?

[porkmusket]

Let's see... might it be because there is no iTunes binary for linux?

Re:DMCA doesn't apply ourside USofA

[lgw]

Not trusted computing, but Vista attempts to plug the analog hole by not alowing high fidelity analog output (at leats of video). Trusted computing could be used to prevent driver-level work-arounds, but that's the direction Microsoft took. Instead they just invalidate all of your DRMed content if they detect a driver not on their whitelist (at least according to the NEtflix story a few weeks back).

10 Years Down the Road...

[BoRegardless]

After you've bought 250 movies, and the DRM they made "back then" is no longer supported, DVD Jon will have made sure you can still see what you bought.

OK?

GUI for Sox, Image Magic and ffmpeg

[flyingfsck]

It sounds like a GUI front-end for Sox, Image Magic and ffmpeg. As such, it should be immensely useful, since running those utilities from a command line is quite a challenge.

Re:What is property?

[Itsacon]

That's absolutely true.

However, once I've bought that book, I don't plan on paying Stephen King each time I intend to read it. If I have bought the deluxe-bigass-hardcopy edition, and plan on reading it while backpacking, it is my good right to photocopy that book.

That's what this software means to achieve: Use stuff you've bought legally, in the way YOU want it, not hindered by commercially-imposed limits of device, location, etc. I don't have an Ipod, I have a minidisc. If I buy stuff from Itunes, I need to get rid of the DRM in order to listen to it, even though I've bought it fairly.