While for years we did not have a solution on the Mac to remove DRM music bought on iTunes without any loss of quality, since the beginning of the year two programs (that we will not cite) have pointed the ends of their noses up at DRM and allow in a few seconds to remove all traces of protection. Their approach is different: The first reads the mp4 (permission/licence must be installed on the computer) and scans what passes through the memory of the Mac to intercept what looks like the mp4 audio. The second is much more radical because we are dealing with a program that for the first time simply removes the DRM file by reverse engineering, without the help of QuickTime libraries and especially without the user needing to have the rights to the mp4 in the first place. It seems that the latter program that has exploded since its publication, Apple's lawyers have sent a nice letter (Cease and desist) to the forum hymn-project and others in rapidshare asking them remove all links to download. Oddly, they did not respond to the first (above), or any other software that already existed for Windows. It is clear that we move slowly in a new era without DRM, and it is high time that the Majors leaves users free to do what they want with their music legally purchased. ITunes + is a first step for Apple, and we hope that the arrival of Amazon mp3 to the global stage pushes the majors to generalize the practice. Only regret: hackers seemed really to enjoy amending their programs as soon as a new version of QuickTime and iTunes came out. We all have good memories to play cat and mouse in the course of recré. [translation by jeremy]

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	www.hardmac.com/news/2008-02-22/#7835