Hack

Apple "Stunned" Over RealNetworks "Hack," Investigating Legal Options

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2004 - 4:12am.

Cupertino, Calif. -- In what could portend another lawsuit testing controversial provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Apple released a terse statement late Wednesday decrying rival RealNetworks' recent release of software that makes its music service compatible with Apple's iPod. On Tuesday, RealNetworks released "Harmony," which in the process of making songs purchased from Real's online store compatible with the iPod, may circumvent Apple's security technology in a potential violation of the DMCA. "We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod, and we are investigating the implications of their actions under the DMCA and other laws," the company said in a statement. "We strongly caution Real and their customers that when we update our iPod software from time to time it is highly likely that Real's Harmony technology will cease to work with current and future iPods." In a response to Apple's statement, RealNetworks said Harmony "does not remove or disable any digital rights management system," and in fact "follows in a well-established tradition of fully legal, independently developed paths to achieve compatibility," citing as precedent the first IBM compatible PCs manufactured by Compaq.