QTFairUse6 strips Apple’s FairPlay DRM off iTunes Music Store files

Apple Store“Remember Hymn? You should, back in the day (like, um, 2004) it allowed you to strip the FairPlay DRM right off iTunes Music Store bought files just like that; well, it’s been a long time in coming, but a new app called QTFairUse6 looks like it can now be used (with some amount of difficulty) to dump iTunes version 6.0.4 – 6.0.5 files of their chastely protection,” Ryan Block reports for Engadget.

Full article here.
Not a big deal: Apple shut it off before (JHymn) and they will again, but this is not a significant issue for Apple. The crack is too complex and, even if it was the easiest one-click thing in the world, it doesn’t matter because Apple doesn’t offer a subscription service. Therefore, unlike with the FairUse4WM crack of Windows Media DRM, the threat of people stealing all of the music they can in a month for just $14.99 or during a free trial period is nonexistent. Besides, you can already do the exact same thing today legally by burning a CD from iTunes.

Related articles:
Microsoft working to update Windows Media DRM cracked by FairUse4WM – August 29, 2006
Microsoft’s PlaysForSure cracked: FairUse4WM strips Windows Media DRM – August 25, 2006

23 Comments

  1. MDN: “it doesn’t matter because Apple doesn’t offer a subscription service”

    Not for tunes, true, but Apple’s movie service is expected to be subscription based, so this IS a big deal if the same crack applies to their video DRM.

  2. I read about the FairPlay crack, fired up Parallels, ordered up Napster free trial (after doing Yahoo but finding that their site sucked really bad!), and ensued on my quest to rip a bunch of music…FOR FREE!

    Now, before all of you start jumping all over me, I have justified this in my mind because I have only ripped off the albums I have already purchased and lost the CD (or vinyl).

    Thanks Napster!

  3. Just use a virtual CD drive, burn a “CD” to it, then rerip unprotected. Then you don’t even waste a DVD. I’m sure there are virtual CD apps for Mac, aren’t there? I do it on my Windows machine (NO, I will never buy another one, but I have a 3 year old one, so I use it for some things). It works great. It’s only for my own convenience, I don’t share the files at all.

  4. With FairUse4WM crack of Windows Media DRM, I can steal millions of songs for free.

    With QTFairUse6 crack of Apple’s FairPlay DRM, I can “steal” one song after I buy it for $0.99.

    Anyone who can’t understand the piracy potential differential between FairUse4WM vs. QTFairUse6 is a moron.

    MacDailyNews is, of course and as usual, entirely correct in their “Take.”

  5. So… has anyone gotten this to work? The version I downloaded says to fire up QTFairuse.py (I assume via terminal), but when I run it through python, I get a bunch of error messages and no output file.

    Any ideas, or brainy ones?

    TIA

  6. individual user: With FairUse4WM crack of Windows Media DRM, I can steal millions of songs for free.

    With QTFairUse6 crack of Apple’s FairPlay DRM, I can “steal” one song after I buy it for $0.99.

    Anyone who can’t understand the piracy potential differential between FairUse4WM vs. QTFairUse6 is a moron.

    Quoted for Truth.

    Trolls — If you can be refuted in fewer than three sentences then you really need to step up the level of your game.

  7. damn Mike K., you beat me to it!! trolls complaining about MDN’s take are being quite foolish.
    The Music company, Artist & Apple always win even after you strip the music of the DRM, because guess what, you’ve already paid for it and it’s only one song!! I mean I wouldn’t spend $10,000(or even $100 as a matter of fact) to strip it of DRM and put it online for everyone to download. Who would be losing that battle? the idiot who paid and decided to strip it of DRM and give it away for free. and who still wins, the damn record companies who still get their money, I don’t think even the record companies are equally as concerned that this iTunes DRM has come out compared to Napster and all other subscription models.

  8. Individual user: Great response. That makes sense, you moron. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Had to add that last part, since you screwed up what was an intelligent response. G’day anyway.

    BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots: Sad that you are unable muster anything reasonable to add. You should go read a book on manners, debate, and then apologize to everyone you’ve wronged in your life since you probably act the same in the real world.

    mike k.: Notice how you didn’t have any original thought to add? Ever think some of us MDN posters (I own several Macs) prefer thoughtful exchanges rather than the more-of-the-same MDN dialogue. Of course you haven’t!

    Microsoft-sucks, Apple-rules is amusing for about 5 seconds.

    This is one of the few MDN Takes that, on the whole, is accurate and fair. Many of their other “takes” are just plain biased and weak. This one I agree with, though.

  9. “Not a big deal”

    Sure it is.

    Now several or many people can put together all their paid-for DRM music in one place and run this app.

    Your smallish DRM’d library can become a huge non-DRM’s one overnight.

    But you’re right about Apple not really caring.

    Apple and Microsoft both only need the illusion of DRM, for the vast (ignorant) majority of users.

    They won’t sweat teh small stuff, the geeks and horders.

  10. MPC-Guy my old friend, i’m sorry about the sand in your vagina. Surely there are other websites which cater to your preferences more than this one. If not, maybe you can start Mac and PC Guy Daily News

    Now — on to some thoughtful exchange: what is the impetus for stripping iTunes’ DRM? For me, it is usually because i want to send it to a friend who might be interested in the artist in question. In that case i usually capture the audio, re-encode it and send it. If i am feeling lazy then i just download it off a P2P network. I have contributed to many CD sales in this fashion.

    The music industry needs to understand that “try before you buy” is a really good sales technique for music. The people who will scam such a system were not going to pay for music anyway. For others, myself included, this allows me to discover more music than if i had to buy a new CD every time. I wish iTunes had full song previews. I would buy more music this way.

    What are some other general uses which iTunes’ DRM interferes with? I suppose some people just object to DRM in principle.

  11. Although I love Apple I have to agree with MPC-Guy. As soon as I saw this was cracked I knew MDN would spin it differently than the PlaysForSure hack.

    Just try and be consistent MDN. These are hacks either way, and to be honest, I’m glad for the hacks. I hate DRM in either form. Gives me an opportunity to strip the DRM out of my current library!

  12. “John” — I think it only works with the Windows version of iTunes.

    As to why anyone would use Hymn or this app, it’s beyond me. I mean, they’re not pirates. If they were they’d have stolen the music off P2P. They’re not audiophiles either — no audiophile would pay for compressed music — so they could just burn to CD and re-rip.

    Best as I can see, iTunes crackers fall into three categories:
    — Techno-geeks who want to do it just because they can
    — Free-information ideologues who do it on principle
    — People who like the convenience of iTMS but have one non-supported device they want to play their music on, but can’t be bothered to burn a CD and re-rip. (How many of these folks can there be?)

  13. Maybe because IT IS DIFFERENT than the PlaysForSure hack. If you morons can’t see the difference, then that is obviously your problem.

    Being able to “steal” a song after it’s already been purchased is FAR different than downloading thousands of songs for free like you can right now on the WMA services.

    Besides, you can burn a CD and re-rip iTunes songs to remove the DRM anyway, this has been known like forever. So tell us again how this QT hack makes things any different now you geniuses???

  14. Windows iTunes only. Too bad.
    I buy all of my music in iTMS but I wish I could have a DRM free version of the songs as well. The DRM tunes can’t be shared on the network and that’s just super lame!

  15. “Being able to “steal” a song after it’s already been purchased is FAR different than downloading thousands of songs for free like you can right now on the WMA services.”

    Damn right.

    And all this makes iTunes more attractive then Napster et al how?

    I forgot, people do prefer to pay $0.99 each for songs rather than get as many as they want for $14.95.

  16. Mike K.: Sand in vagina? You’re probably the only one who thought that was funny. Seriously though, when you ruin your credibility when you the only response you can come up with is to insult. Try again.


    intheshelter: … knew MDN would spin it differently than the PlaysForSure hack. Just try and be consistent MDN…

    I wonder if that’s too much to ask for.


    Why do so many posters resort to name-calling on this forum? For merely starting stating an alternative view, people have responded with:

    – trolls getting stupider…
    – Anyone … is a moron.
    – Trolls — If you can be refuted…
    – trolls complaining … are being quite foolish.
    – If you morons can’t see…
    – i’m sorry about the sand in your vagina.

    1. Is it “trolling” to state an alternate “take” on things? Some people can think for themselves and don’t necessarily agree with MDN all the time.
    2. Is it possible, to get a intelligent response on this board? Preferably from less close-minded people who can put muster up much more than name-calling.

    Notice, I’m the troll on this board, yet I haven’t resorted to any harrassing or name-calling. Strange don’t you think?

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