Apple sends DMCA notice to iPodHash project

As pretty much every iPod owner knows, music must be loaded on to the iPod through iTunes or some alternative capable of working with their iPod.  Lately, Apple tried putting a stop to third party alternatives by putting a hash on its newer iPods and iPhones to protect the iTunesDB file.  This file is a database which stores the details and location of each song on the iPod, so if an application cannot access the file, it will not work properly with the iPod.  This would be a problem for Linux users who own an iPod, as there is no Linux version of iTunes available.

When Apple originally started protecting its iTunesDB file on iPhones and the 6th gen iPods with a hash, it didn’t take long for someone to hack the protection, but then Apple modified it in its iPhone and iPod touch 2.0 firmware to counteract the hack.  A project then started up to try breaking the new hash, but it has been unsuccessful so far.  Now a lawyer claiming to represent Apple has sent the project a DMCA violation notice asking them to remove the offending information.  In an e-mail, the lawyer claims that the project is effectively circumventing the FairPlay DRM protection and thus violates the DMCA.

The project is now looking for help from individuals experienced in dealing with this sort of issue and has already got some assistance from the EFF.  As the project’s host BluWiki does not have much cash or a legal team, the project author has decided to comply with the request.  As a result, this is not good news for anyone looking to escape iTunes with their latest iPhone.  This is yet another example of where Apple is abusing DRM to control how its iPods may be used, since there is no sensible reason to protect the layout of songs on the iPod (or any MP3 player) for DRM to be effective.