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{{Short description|DRM technology used by Apple}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}{{About|digital rights management system||Fair Play (disambiguation)}}
{{otheruses4|Digital Rights Management system||Fair Play}}
{{Distinguish|AirPlay}}
'''FairPlay''' is a [[digital rights management]] (DRM) technology created by [[Apple Inc.]], based on technology created by the company [[Veridisc]]. FairPlay is built into the [[QuickTime]] multimedia software and used by the [[iPhone]], [[iPod]], [[iTunes]], and [[iTunes Store]]. Any protected song purchased from the iTunes Store with iTunes is encoded with FairPlay. FairPlay digitally [[encryption|encrypts]] [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] audio files and prevents users from playing these files on unauthorized computers.
'''FairPlay''' is a family of [[digital rights management]] (DRM) technologies developed by [[Apple Inc.]] for protecting [[videos]], [[books]] and [[Application software|apps]] and historically for [[music]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bishop |first=Bryan |date=2012-02-25 |title=Apple's FairPlay DRM for iBooks cracked by Requiem app |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/25/2823218/apples-fairplay-drm-ibooks-cracked-requiem-app |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref>


== Music ==
The majority of FairPlay-encrypted content is purchased through the iTunes Store, using the iTunes jukebox software. The iTunes jukebox software relies on Apple's Quicktime multimedia software for decoding and playback of the encrypted files. Every media player capable of utilizing QuickTime is capable of playing back FairPlay-encrypted files, including [[RealPlayer]], [[Media Center (software application)|Media Center]], and [[Media Player Classic]].
The initial version of FairPlay was created to protect music on the [[iTunes Store]], and is the only version of FairPlay that is no longer actively used.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/32866386/iTunesWhitePaper0604.pdf |title=iTunes: How Copyright, Contract, and Technology Shape the Business of Digital Media — A Case Study |last=Fisher |first=William W. III |date=June 15, 2004 |publisher=[[Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society]] research publication |access-date=June 17, 2023}}</ref>


==How it works==
=== Technical details ===
FairPlay is built into the [[MPEG-4 Part 14|MP4]] multimedia file format as an [[encrypted]] [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] audio layer. FairPlay-protected files are regular [[MPEG-4 Part 14|MP4]] [[Digital container format|container files]] with an encrypted [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] audio layer. The layer is encrypted using the [[Advanced Encryption Standard|AES]] [[algorithm]]. The master key required to decrypt the audio layer is also stored in encrypted form in the MP4 container file. The key required to decrypt the master key is called the "user key".<ref>{{cite web |first=Ramya |last=Venkataramu |title=Analysis and enhancement of Apple's FairPlay digital rights management |url=http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty/stamp/students/RamyaVenkataramu_CS298Report.pdf |website=Department of Computer Science |publisher=[[San Jose State University]] |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref><ref name="How FairPlay Works">{{cite web |first=Daniel Eran |last=Dilger |title=How FairPlay Works: Apple's iTunes DRM Dilemma |url=http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/2A351C60-A4E5-4764-A083-FF8610E66A46.html |website=Roughly Drafted |date=February 26, 2007 |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927030905/http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/2A351C60-A4E5-4764-A083-FF8610E66A46.html |archive-date=September 27, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> When a user registers a new computer with [[iTunes]], the device requests authorization from Apple's servers, thereby gaining a user key. Upon attempting to play a file, the master key stored within the file is then matched to the user key, and if successful, allows playing.<ref name="How FairPlay Works" /> FairPlay allows music to be synchronized to an unlimited number of [[iPod]]s and tracks to be burned to an unlimited number of [[CD]]s, though a given playlist can only be burned 7 times without being modified (a limitation which can be circumvented by changing a song's placement). Playback is limited to five computers which were authorized through iTunes;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mossberg |first=Walter S. |date=2005-08-11 |title=ITunes's Usage Limits |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112371566584410283 |access-date=2023-06-17 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> a computer can be deauthorized and another authorized in its place.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wherry |first=Mark |date=November 2003 |title=iTunes Music Store |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/itunes-music-store |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=[[Sound on Sound]]}}</ref> Before April 2004, the limits were ten playlist burns, and three computers; Apple reduced the playlist limit to seven due to demands from record labels.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=April 28, 2004 |title=ITunes Birthday Gift: More Songs |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2004/04/itunes-birthday-gift-more-songs/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>
FairPlay-protected files are regular [[MPEG-4 Layer 14|MP4]] container files with an encrypted [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] audio stream. The audio stream is encrypted using the [[AES]] algorithm in combination with [[MD5]] hashes. The master key required to decrypt the encrypted audio stream is also stored in encrypted form in the MP4 container file. The key required to decrypt the master key is called the "user key."


=== Lawsuit ===
Each time a customer uses iTunes to buy a track a new random user key is generated and used to encrypt the master key. The random user key is stored, together with the account information, on Apple’s servers, and also sent to iTunes. iTunes stores these keys in its own encrypted key repository. Using this key repository, iTunes is able to retrieve the user key required to decrypt the master key. Using the master key, iTunes is able to decrypt the AAC audio stream and play it.
In January 2005, an iTunes customer filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the company broke [[antitrust laws]] by using FairPlay with iTunes in a way that purchased music would work only with the company's own music player, the iPod, freezing out competitors.<ref name="MacRumors class action">{{cite web |first=Jordan |last=Golson |title=iPod Lawsuit Against Apple Given Class-Action Status |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/09/ipod-lawsuit-against-apple-given-class-action-status/ |website=[[MacRumors]] |date=May 9, 2012 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> In March 2011, ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' reported that Apple's then-CEO [[Steve Jobs]] would be required to provide testimony through a [[Deposition (law)|deposition]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Eric |last=Slivka |title=Steve Jobs Required to Provide Deposition in 2005 iTunes Antitrust Case |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/22/steve-jobs-required-to-provide-deposition-in-2005-itunes-antitrust-case/ |website=[[MacRumors]] |date=March 22, 2011 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> In May 2012, the case was changed into a [[class action]] lawsuit.<ref name="Ars Technica class action">{{cite web |first=Jacqui |last=Cheng |title=iPod owners being notified of class-action antitrust suit against Apple |url=https://cms.arstechnica.com/apple/2012/05/ipod-owners-being-notified-of-class-action-antitrust-suit-against-apple/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |date=May 9, 2012 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref><ref name="MacRumors class action" /> Around the same time, the main antitrust allegation was changed to cover the belief that Apple had deliberately updated the iTunes software with security patches in a way that prevented synchronization compatibility with competing music stores.<ref>{{cite web |first=Shara |last=Tibken |title=Apple's iPod antitrust class action suit: All you need to know (FAQ) |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/apples-ipod-antitrust-class-action-suit-all-you-need-to-know-faq/ |website=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=December 1, 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> All iPod owners who had purchased their device between September 12, 2006, and March 31, 2009, were included in the class action lawsuit, unless they opted out.<ref name="Ars Technica class action" /><ref name="MacRumors class action" /> In December 2014, Apple went to trial against the claims raised, with the opposing party's plaintiff lawyers seeking $350 million in damages for nearly eight million affected customers.<ref>{{cite web |first=Micah |last=Singleton |title=Apple is just now going to trial over the music DRM it killed in 2009 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/2/7315631/Apples-music-DRM-dead-for-over-five-years-is-now-on-trial |website=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |date=December 2, 2014 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Joe |last=Mullin |title=Was Apple's iPod DRM illegal? Starting today, a jury decides |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/12/apple-now-facing-a-jury-over-claims-it-competed-unfairly-with-drm/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |date=December 2, 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> A few weeks later, the case was closed, with the jury deciding in Apple's favor, citing a then-new version of iTunes as being a "genuine product improvement".<ref>{{cite web |first=Daisuke |last=Wakabayashi |title=Apple Wins iPod Antitrust Trial |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-wins-ipod-antitrust-trial-1418753843 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]] |date=December 16, 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Alan |last=Yuhas |title=Antitrust lawsuit against Apple: 10 years in the making, shot down in three hours |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/16/antitrust-lawsuit-apple-ipod-software-updates |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=December 16, 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref>


=== Circumvention/removal ===
When a user authorizes a new computer, iTunes sends a unique machine identifier to Apple’s servers. In return it receives all the user keys that are stored with the account information. This ensures that Apple is able to limit the number of computers that are authorized and makes sure that each authorized computer has all the user keys that are needed to play the tracks that it bought.
The restrictions imposed by FairPlay, mainly limited device compatibility, have sparked criticism, with a lawsuit alleging [[antitrust]] violation that was eventually closed in Apple's favor, and various successful efforts to remove the DRM protection from files, with Apple continually updating its software to counteract such projects.


After the introduction of the FairPlay system, multiple parties have attempted and succeeded to circumvent or remove the encryption of FairPlay-protected files. In October 2006, [[Jon Lech Johansen|Jon Johansen]] announced he had [[reverse engineered]] FairPlay and would start to license the technology to companies wanting their media to play on Apple's devices.<ref>{{cite web |first=Liz |last=Gannes |title=DVD Jon Fairplays Apple |url=https://gigaom.com/2006/10/02/dvd-jon-fairplays-apple/ |website=[[Gigaom]] |date=October 2, 2006 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-10-25 |title=iTunes copy protection 'cracked' |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6083110.stm?lsm/ |access-date=2023-02-04}}</ref> Various media publications have written about DRM removal software,<ref>{{cite web |title=How Fairplay Works on Apple iTunes Content, like iTunes Movies/TV Shows, Music and eBook? |url=https://9to5mac.com/community/how-fairplay-works-on-apple-itunes-content-like-itunes-moviestv-shows-music-and-ebook/ |website=9to5Mac |date=June 19, 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Dave |last=Hamilton |title=How iTunes Movie DRM-Removal Software Keeps Me Honest |url=https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/itunes-drm-removal-keeps-me-legal |website=The Mac Observer |date=September 2, 2015 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> though Apple has continually made efforts in updating its software to counteract these options, resulting in upgraded DRM systems and discontinued DRM removal software.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jim |last=Tanous |title=The iTunes DRM Removal Saga: NoteBurner and a Look Back at Requiem |url=https://www.tekrevue.com/itunes-drm-removal/ |website=TekRevue |date=September 2, 2015 |access-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-date=December 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220140209/https://www.tekrevue.com/itunes-drm-removal/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Novak |last=Bozovic|title=TuneFab Apple Music Converter Review – Quite Simple Yet Quite Powerful! |url=https://www.technadu.com/tunefab-apple-music-converter-review/26171/ |website=Technadu |date=April 17, 2018 |access-date=May 5, 2019 }}</ref>
When a user deauthorizes a computer, iTunes will instruct Apple’s servers to remove the unique machine identifier from their database, and at the same time it will remove all the user keys from its encrypted key repository.


==== RealNetworks and Harmony technology ====
The iPod also has its own encrypted key repository. Every time a FairPlay-protected track is copied onto the iPod, iTunes will copy the user key from its own key repository to the key repository on the iPod. This makes sure that the iPod has everything it needs to play the encrypted AAC audio stream.
In July 2004, [[RealNetworks]] introduced its Harmony technology. The Harmony technology was built into the company's [[RealPlayer]] and allowed users of the [[RealPlayer Music Store]] to play their songs on the [[iPod]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Cohen |title=RealNetworks' Harmony promises iPod compatibility |url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1035237/harmony.html |website=[[Macworld]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=July 26, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Eric |last=Bangeman |title=RealNetworks cracks the FairPlay code |url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2004/07/4030-2/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |date=July 26, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> In a press release, RealNetworks argued that Harmony was a boon to consumers that "frees" them "from the limitation of being locked into a specific portable device when they buy digital music."<ref>{{cite web |title=RealNetworks introduces Harmony, enabling consumers to buy digital music that plays on all popular devices |url=http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2004/harmony.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040804052015/http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2004/harmony.html |website=[[RealNetworks]] |date=July 26, 2004 |archive-date=August 4, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> In response, Apple issued a statement:<ref>{{cite web |first=Jim |last=Dalrymple |title=Apple responds to RealNetworks iPod 'hacker' tactics |url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1035244/applereal.html |website=[[Macworld]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=July 29, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Eric |last=Bangeman |title=Apple responds to RealNetworks FairPlay hack |url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2004/07/4051-2/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |date=July 29, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref>


<blockquote>
FairPlay does not affect the ability of the file itself to be copied. It only manages the decryption of the audio content.
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.
</blockquote>


RealNetworks launched an Internet petition titled "Hey Apple! Don't break my iPod", encouraging iPod users to sign up to support Real's action. The petition backfired, with comments criticizing Real's tactics, though some commentators also supported it.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jo |last=Best |title=Real v Apple music war: iPod freedom petition backfires |url=http://www.zdnet.com/article/real-v-apple-music-war-ipod-freedom-petition-backfires/ |website=[[ZDNet]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=August 18, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> At the end of 2004, Apple had updated its software in a way that broke the Harmony technology, prompting RealNetworks to promise a then-upcoming fix.<ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Cohen |title=RealNetworks promises iPod lockout fix |url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1041445/harmony.html |website=[[Macworld]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=December 16, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref>
==Restrictions== That suck Balls


In August 2005, an [[SEC filing]] by RealNetworks disclosed that continued use of the Harmony technology put themselves at considerable risk because of the possibility of a lawsuit from Apple, which would be expensive to defend against, even if the court agreed that the technology was legal. Additionally, the possibility that Apple could change its technology to purposefully "break" Harmony's function raised the possibility that Real's business could be harmed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Real reveals real Apple legal threat |url=http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/mac/real-reveals-real-apple-legal-threat-12310/ |website=[[Macworld]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=August 10, 2005 |access-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912050400/http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/mac/real-reveals-real-apple-legal-threat-12310/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Real admits risk of Apple lawsuit |url=http://appleinsider.com/article/?id=1228 |website=AppleInsider |date=August 10, 2005 |access-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018113118/http://appleinsider.com/article/?id=1228 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
FairPlay-encrypted audio tracks allow the following:


===== ''Hymn'' =====
* The track may be copied to any number of [[iPod]] portable music players.<ref name=authorize>http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/authorization/</ref>
Hymn (which stands for ''Hear Your Music aNywhere'') was an open-source tool that allowed users to remove the FairPlay DRM of music bought from the [[iTunes Store]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |author=WIRED Staff |title=FairPlay Bad. PlayFair Good |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2004/05/fairplay-bad-pl/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Tony |date=13 January 2005 |title=Apple brings discord to Hymn |url=https://www.theregister.com/2005/01/13/apple_breaks_hymn/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=The Register |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The history of Hymn, JHymn, and QTFairUse |url=https://reincubate.com/support/how-to/hymn-qtfairuse-history/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=reincubate.com |date=March 17, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> It was later supplanted by QTFairUse6.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QTFairUse6: is Hymn finally back to strip FairPlay on iTunes 6? |url=https://www.engadget.com/2006-08-29-hymn-is-back-fairplay-on-itunes-6-finally-cracked.html |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Engadget |date=July 20, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Hymn project later shut down after a cease and desist from Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Jonny |date=February 25, 2008 |title=iTunes legal silences Hymn |url=http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/02/25/itunes-legal-silences-hymn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219233706/http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/02/25/itunes-legal-silences-hymn |archive-date=February 19, 2010 |access-date=February 4, 2023 |website=The Standard}}</ref>
* The track may be played on up to five (originally three) authorized computers simultaneously.<ref name=authorize>http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/authorization/</ref>
* A particular playlist within [[iTunes]] containing a FairPlay-encrypted track can be copied to a CD only up to seven times (originally ten times) before the playlist must be changed.<ref name=burncd>http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93360</ref>
* The track may be copied to a standard Audio [[CD]] any number of times.<ref name=burncd>http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93360</ref>
** The resulting CD has no DRM and may be ripped, encoded and played back like any other CD. However, CDs created by users do not attain [[first sale]] rights and cannot be legally leased, lent, sold or distributed to others by the creator.
** The CD audio still bears the artifacts of compression, so converting it back into a [[lossy]] format such as [[MP3]] may aggravate the sound artifacts of encoding (see [[transcoding]]). When re-ripping such a CD one could use a lossless audio codec such as [[AIFF]], [[Apple Lossless]], [[FLAC]] or [[WAV]] however such files take up significantly more space than the original .m4p files


=== Steve Jobs' "Thoughts on Music" open letter ===
At this time, it appears that the restrictions mentioned above are hard-coded into QuickTime and the iTunes application, and not configurable in the protected files themselves.
{{anchor|Steve Jobs' Thoughts on Music open letter}}
On February 6, 2007, [[Steve Jobs]], then-[[CEO]] of Apple, published an open letter titled "Thoughts on Music" on the Apple website, calling on the "big four" [[record label]]s to sell their music without DRM technology. According to the letter, Apple did not want to use DRM, but was forced to by the four major music labels, with whom Apple has license agreements for iTunes sales of music. Jobs' main points were:<ref>{{cite web |title=Thoughts on Music |url=https://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207234839/http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic |website=[[Apple Inc.]] |date=February 6, 2007 |archive-date=February 7, 2007 |access-date=June 23, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Arnold |last=Kim |title=Steve Jobs 'Thoughts on Music' - Asks for No Digital Rights Management |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2007/02/06/steve-jobs-thoughts-on-music/ |website=[[MacRumors]] |date=February 6, 2007 |access-date=June 23, 2017}}</ref>


* DRM has never been, and will never be, perfect. [[Hackers]] will always find a method to break DRM.
An artifact of Fairplay is that it prevents iTunes customers from using the purchased music directly on any portable digital music player other than the [[Apple iPod]], [[Motorola ROKR E1]], [[Motorola SLVR]], [[Motorola RAZR V3i]],or [[iPhone]].

==Legal Issues==
On [[January 3]] [[2005]], an iTunes online music store customer, Thomas Slattery, filed a lawsuit against [[Apple Inc.]](formerly known as Apple Computer), alleging the company broke [[antitrust]] laws by utilizing FairPlay with iTunes so that purchased music will work only with its own music player, the iPod, freezing out competitors.<ref>http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3455431</ref> Though most of the complaints have been dropped, the case has since been combined with two other lawsuits and continues today under the temporary name "The Apple iPod iTunes Antitrust Litigation."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000110465907037745/a07-13266_110q.htm | title=Apple Inc. 10-Q| date=[[2007-05-10]] | work=[[EDGAR]] | pages=38 | accessdate=2007-06-21}}</ref>

On [[June 28]] [[2004]], VirginMega filed a complaint with the French Competition Council against Apple regarding its refusal to license Fairplay to VirginMega for use in their own online music commerce store. The French [[Conseil de la Concurrence]] rejected the complaint over accused anti-competitive behavior.<ref>http://www.conseil-concurrence.fr/pdf/avis/04d54.pdf</ref>
The Conseil ruled against the notion that FairPlay was an "[[Essential facilities doctrine|essential facility]]" for three distinct reasons: 1) Playing purchased music on portable players was a small part of the market; 2) CD Burning provides an adequate work-around to get purchased music from other vendors onto an iPod; and 3) There is sufficient availability of portable players that support Microsoft's WMA DRM as a viable alternative and choice for consumers.<ref>[http://www.reckon.co.uk/open/iTunes iTunes, DRM and competition law]</ref>

==Circumventing Fairplay==
After the launch of the iTunes Music Store multiple people attempted to circumvent the encryption of FairPlay-protected files.

===QTFairUse===
[[Jon Johansen]] – also known for his [[DeCSS]] program – was the first to discover a way to circumvent the DRM. The [[open source]] application [[QTFairUse]] intercepted the decrypted output and wrote it to a raw AAC file. Many media players do not support such raw files and the files had to be processed with a tool like [[Advanced Audio Coding#FAAC and FAAD2|FAAD]] to create normal files. One of the few media players that is able to play raw AAC files is [[foobar2000]].

The second time around, Johansen [[Reverse engineering|reverse engineered]] the encryption technique used in FairPlay and created an algorithm to completely remove the encryption without re-encoding the encrypted AAC stream. This method is currently used by [[VLC media player]] in order to play FairPlay-protected tracks.

Only a few days after the release of iTunes 7.0 the experimental version 2.3 of QTFairUse6, a derivative of the python open source [[QTFairUse]], was released which dumps each track to a raw AAC file which then can be converted to any format.

Jon Johansen himself also released a tool to remove the encryption, called DeDRMS. Later he released FairKeys, which uses Apple’s own servers to retrieve the keys needed by DeDRMS.

All these applications have two things in common. First of all, they use the user keys from either the Apple servers, the iTunes key repository, or the iPod key repository, which ensures they can decrypt only files that are legally bought; a user cannot use these applications to decrypt files that another user bought. Secondly, they keep user specific metadata inside the MP4 container intact, so it is possible to identify the user who originally bought the file after it is decrypted.

In March of 2005, it was revealed through a front end of the iTunes Music Store called [[PyMusique]] that the FairPlay DRM was added only as a song was being purchased from the store by the client software itself.

In October 2006, [[Jon Johansen]] announced that instead of breaking FairPlay, he had reverse-engineered it so that other companies could play their DRM-protected music and movies on iPods and Apple's new [[Apple TV]]. His company, [[DoubleTwist Ventures]], would license the technology to media companies who wished to have their media playable on the iPod or Apple TV, with the protection of FairPlay DRM, but without having to go through Apple. <ref>http://featured.gigaom.com/2006/10/02/dvd-jon-fairplays-apple/</ref>

===Playfair, Hymn, and JHymn===
A software package named [[PlayFair]] – created by an anonymous author – also appeared. It can remove the encryption from files using the FairPlay DRM mechanism. The author of Playfair used the source code written by Jon Johansen for VLC. Apple's legal department forced PlayFair to be first removed from [[SourceForge.net]], and then when the Indian open source web site [[Sarovar.org]] hosted the project they too were sent a [[cease and desist]] by Apple's lawyers. However, Playfair's successor [[Hymn (software)|Hymn]] (an acronym for "'''H'''ear '''Y'''our '''M'''usic a'''N'''ywhere") is alive and well and has become [[JHymn]], a [[Java (programming language)|Java]] variant of the program, and iOpener, a Windows variant.

Apple Computer introduced iTunes 6.0 in October 2005, which included changes intended to stop programs like JHymn from decrypting FairPlay encrypted files. Furthermore, once iTunes 6 has been used to purchase songs or authorize a computer with a particular iTMS account, that account will be blocked from making purchases or activations on earlier iTunes versions, thus JHymn can no longer be used.<ref>http://www.hymn-project.org/jhymndoc/</ref>

Apple Computer introduced iTunes 7.0 in September 2006, which once again included changes intended to stop programs similar to JHymn.

===Harmony: RealPlayer Music on the iPod===
In July 2004, [[RealNetworks]] introduced their Harmony technology. The Harmony technology is built into [[RealPlayer]] and allows users of the [[RealPlayer Music Store]] to play their songs on the [[iPod]]. Before the introduction of Harmony this was not possible, because the RealPlayer Music Store uses a different DRM scheme, called [[Helix DRM]], that was incompatible with that used by Apple. While using RealPlayer to transfer a Helix DRM-restricted song onto the iPod, Harmony transparently converts it to a FairPlay-compatible protected file. Real argued that Harmony was a boon to consumers that "frees" them "from the limitation of being locked into a specific portable device when they buy digital music."<ref>http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2004/harmony.html</ref> Apple responded:

:We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a [[software cracking|hacker]] to break into the iPod, and we are investigating the implications of their actions under the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act|DMCA]] and other laws. 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.

RealNetworks launched an [[internet petition]] titled "Hey Apple! Don't break my iPod", encouraging iPod users to sign up to support Real's action. The petition backfired badly. <ref>http://hardware.silicon.com/storage/0,39024649,39123271,00.htm</ref> The overwhelming majority of posters reacted negatively. The main points of criticism against Harmony were:
* Many posters accused RealNetworks of [[astroturfing]] with the petition they had created.
* RealNetworks was criticised for hypocrisy in keeping its own intellectual property and products closed, while asking Apple to open up the iPod.
* The move was also denounced as an attempt to force Apple into a partnership that would only benefit RealNetworks.

Apple did disable Harmony around the time of the [[iPod photo]] launch, and to older versions shortly after in firmware updates. The change makes it so that all music (past and present) purchased through the [[RealPlayer Music Store]] will not work on Apple's [[iPod]]. In response, Real said they would get it working again.

In August 2005, an [[SEC filings|SEC filing]] by RealNetworks disclosed that continued use of the Harmony technology put themselves at considerable risk because of the possibility of a [[lawsuit]] from Apple, which would be expensive to defend against, even if the court agreed that the technology is legal. Additionally, the possibility that "Apple will continue to modify its technology to 'break' the interoperability that Harmony provides to consumers" would mean that "Harmony may no longer work with Apple's products, which could harm our business and reputation, or we may be forced to incur additional development costs to refine Harmony to make it interoperate again."<ref>http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1228</ref>

Harmony never resurfaced as an option by RealNetworks.

===Conversion to analog===
There are two other methods to bypass the DRM control. The first method is to burn a copy to an audio CD and then [[Ripping|rip]] it. Some software products take an even simpler and more automated method which allows user to burn music to a Virtual CD-RW disc and then automatically rip and encode the music stored on the Virtual CD-R. NoteBurner [[M4p converter]] is the typical example which uses this Virtual CD-RW drive method.

The second method is to use a recording software and sound card (utilizing the so-called "[[analog hole]]"). TuneBite, [[Audacity]] and SoundTaxi are three of the most popular software tools.

==Steve Jobs on DRM==
On February 6, 2007, [[Steve Jobs]], CEO of Apple Inc., published an open letter entitled ''Thoughts on Music'' on the Apple website calling on the "big four" music companies to sell their music without DRM.<ref name=openletter>{{cite web | url=http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic | title=Thoughts on Music | last=Jobs | first=Steve | date=[[2007-02-06]] | accessdate=2007-06-21}}</ref> According to Jobs, Apple does not want to use DRM but is forced by the four major musical labels with whom Apple negotiates contracts for iTunes. Jobs's main points were:

* DRM has never and will never be perfect. Hackers will always find a method to break DRM.
* DRM restrictions only hurt people using music legally. Illegal users aren't affected by DRM.
* DRM restrictions only hurt people using music legally. Illegal users aren't affected by DRM.
* The restrictions of DRM encourage users to obtain unrestricted music which is usually only possible via illegal methods.
* The restrictions of DRM encourage users to obtain unrestricted music, which is usually only possible via illegal methods; thus, circumventing iTunes and their revenues.
* The vast majority of music is sold without DRM via CDs which has proven successful.
* The vast majority of music is sold without DRM via [[CD]]s, which have proven commercial success.


==== Reactions ====
Jobs's letter was met with overwhelming praise by the consumer community.
Although the open letter initially caused mixed industry reactions, Apple signed a deal with a major [[record label]] the following month to offer iTunes customers a purchase option for a higher-quality, DRM-free version of the label's tracks.


Jobs' letter was met with mixed reactions. ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' highlighted several viewpoints. [[David B. Pakman|David Pakman]], President of non-DRM music retailer [[eMusic]], agreed with Jobs, stating that "consumers prefer a world where the media they purchase is playable on any device, regardless of its manufacturer, and is not burdened by arbitrary usage restrictions. DRM only serves to restrict [[consumer choice]], prevents a larger digital music market from emerging, and often makes consumers unwitting accomplices to the ambitions of technology companies". Mike Bebel, CEO of music subscription service Ruckus, explained his view that the letter was an effort to shift focus, saying that "This is a way for Steve Jobs to take the heat off the fact that he won't open up his proprietary DRM. ... The labels have every right to protect their content, and I don't see it as a vow of good partnership to turn the tables on the labels and tell them they should just get rid of all DRM... He is trying to spin the controversy." An anonymous music label executive said that "it's ironic that the guy who has the most successful example of DRM at every step of the process, the one where people bought boatloads of music last Christmas, is suddenly changing his tune".<ref>{{cite web |first=Arik |last=Hesseldahl |title=Steve Jobs' Music Manifesto |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2007-02-07/steve-jobs-music-manifestobusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |website=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |date=February 7, 2007 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> In an article from ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Ted Cohen (music industry executive)|Ted Cohen]], managing partner at TAG Strategic, commented that the change could be "a clear win for the consumer electronics device world, but a potential disaster for the content companies". The [[Recording Industry Association of America]] put particular emphasis on Jobs' self-rejected idea about licensing its FairPlay technology to other companies, saying that such licensing would be "a welcome breakthrough and would be a real victory for fans, artists and labels".<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Markoff |title=Jobs Calls for End to Music Copy Protection |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/technology/07music.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 7, 2007 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref>
On [[April 2]] [[2007]], Steve Jobs and [[EMI]] announced DRM free music for EMI's complete music library for a $0.30 premium above the standard price. This began in May 2007. Soon after, [[Amazon.com]] began selling unrestricted music files for 99¢ and Apple dropped the price of its DRM free music back to 99¢.


==== iTunes Store DRM changes ====
===Selected Responses===
In April 2007, Apple and the record label [[EMI]] announced that iTunes Store would begin offering, as an additional higher purchasing option, tracks from [[list of EMI labels|EMI's catalog]] encoded as 256&nbsp;kbit/s AAC without FairPlay or any other DRM.<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Arrington |author-link=Michael Arrington |title=EMI, Apple To Sell DRM-Free Music for $1.29/song |url=https://techcrunch.com/2007/04/02/emi-apple-are-announcing-sale-of-non-drm-music/ |website=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |date=April 2, 2007 |access-date=June 23, 2017}}</ref> In January 2009, Apple announced that the entire iTunes Store music catalog would become available in the higher-quality, DRM-free format, after reaching agreements with all the major record labels as well as "thousands of independent labels".<ref>{{cite web |first=Bobbie |last=Johnson |title=Apple drops DRM copy protection from millions of iTunes songs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jan/06/apple-drops-itunes-copy-protection |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=January 6, 2009 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Prince |last=McLean |title=iTunes Store goes DRM Free, offers over-the-air downloads |url=http://appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/06/itunes_store_goes_drm_free |website=AppleInsider |date=January 6, 2009 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Cohen |title=iTunes Store goes DRM-free |url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1137946/itunestore.html |website=[[Macworld]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=January 6, 2009 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> [[Apple Music]], Apple's subscription-based music streaming service launched on June 30, 2015,<ref>{{cite web |first1=Ben |last1=Popper |first2=Micah |last2=Singleton |title=Apple announces its streaming music service, Apple Music |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/8/8729481/apple-music-streaming-service-wwdc-15 |website=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |date=June 8, 2015 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> uses the DRM technology.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Serenity |last1=Caldwell |first2=Joseph |last2=Keller |title=Apple Music will now let you store your music library DRM-free |url=https://www.imore.com/apple-rolling-out-improved-itunes-match-apple-music-subscribers |website=iMore |date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref>


==FairPlay Streaming==
The essay caused ripples across the music industry, prompting replies from other major players. Responses include those from [[Jon Lech Johansen]] on February 6th, [[MP3.com]] founder [[Michael Robertson]] on February 8th, Warner Music boss [[Edgar Bronfman, Jr.|Edgar Bronfman]] and the open DRM [[Coral Consortium]] on February 9th, head of [[LAUNCHcast|Yahoo Music]] Dave Goldberg on February 11th, Fred Amoroso of [[Macrovision]] on February 16th and the [[Free Software Foundation]] on March 7th.
'''FairPlay Streaming''' ('''FPS''') protects video transferred over HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) on iOS devices, in Apple TV, and in Safari on macOS. The content provider's server first delivers video to the client application encrypted with the content key using the AES cipher. The application then requests a session key from the device's FairPlay module. The session key is a randomly generated nonce which is RSA encrypted with the provider's public key and delivered to the provider's server. The provider's server encrypts the content key using the session key and delivers it to the FairPlay module, which decrypts it and uses it to decrypt the content for playback.<ref>Apple Inc. (2016), ''FairPlay Streaming Overview'', https://developer.apple.com/streaming/fps/FairPlayStreamingOverview.pdf. Retrieved February 28, 2022.</ref>


On iOS and Apple TV, the session key handling and content decryption is done in the kernel, while on macOS it is done using Safari's FairPlay Content Decryption Module.
====DVD Jon====
The famous decoder of the [[Content Scramble System]], [[Jon Lech Johansen]], criticized Jobs's statistical evidence that users are not locked into using the [[iPod]] by using the [[iTunes Music Store]] to download music with [[Apple Computer]]'s FairPlay (DRM).<ref>http://nanocrew.net/2007/02/06/steves-misleading-statistics/</ref>


== Books ==
====Warner Music Group Corp.'s Edgar Bronfman====
{{Empty section|date=September 2023}}
In a conference call on the earnings of [[Warner Music Group Corp.]], CEO Edgar Bronfman argued in favor of DRM, claiming that DRM and interoperability are not mutually exclusive.<ref>http://media.seekingalpha.com/article/26496</ref>


====Coral Consortium====
== Apps ==
Apps downloaded from the [[App Store (iOS/iPadOS)|App Store]] are protected and [[Code signing|code signed]] using a variant of FairPlay DRM for apps. FairPlay DRM creates a public/private key pair when a device is registered with an iCloud account, and encrypting app encryption keys using the "public" key (which is kept on Apple's servers) in order to decrypt them on the device using the "private" key.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How does iOS app DRM work, exactly? |url=https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/42992/how-does-ios-app-drm-work-exactly |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Ask Different |language=en}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=September 2023}}
A multi-industry group working on creating interoperability between DRM formats, the [[Coral Consortium]] responded with an invitation to incorporate their technical specifications for interoperability into the iTunes framework.<ref>http://www.coral-interop.org/20070209_Coral_Letter.html</ref>


====Yahoo's Dave Goldberg====
=== Problems ===
In July 2012, an issue with the creation of FairPlay-protected apps caused binaries to become corrupt and stop working.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foresman |first=Chris |date=2012-07-05 |title=Recent iOS, Mac app crashes linked to botched FairPlay DRM |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/recent-ios-mac-app-crashes-linked-to-botched-fairplay-drm/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref>
In the [[Silicon Valley Watcher]], [[Tom Foremski]] interviewed [[Yahoo Music]] head [[Dave Goldberg]], who advocated removing DRM from music altogether.<ref>http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2007/02/yahoo_exec_says.php</ref>


A flaw allowing a form of man-in-the-middle attack can be used to install malware when an iOS device is connected to a computer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovacs |first=Eduard |date=2016-03-16 |title=iOS Malware "AceDeceiver" Exploits Flaw in Apple DRM |url=https://www.securityweek.com/ios-malware-acedeceiver-exploits-flaw-apple-drm/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=SecurityWeek |language=en-US}}</ref>
====Macrovision's Fred Amoroso====
CEO and President of [[Macrovision Corporation]], Fred Amoroso posted his own open letter in response to Steve Jobs's. In his reply, Amoroso argued that DRM increases both consumer value and electronic distribution by giving users choices (e.g. rent vs. buy). He also argues in favor of interoperable and open DRM.<ref>http://www.macrovision.com/company/1430_5331.htm</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links==
[[Category:Apple Inc. software]]
*[https://developer.apple.com/streaming/fps/ FairPlay Streaming]
[[Category:Digital audio]]
[[Category:Digital rights management]]


[[ca:Fairplay]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairplay}}
[[de:FairPlay]]
[[Category:QuickTime]]
[[Category:Audio software]]
[[es:FairPlay (DRM)]]
[[Category:Digital rights management systems]]
[[fr:FairPlay]]
[[ja:FairPlay]]
[[Category:ITunes]]
[[Category:Digital rights management for macOS]]
[[no:FairPlay]]
[[pl:FairPlay]]

Latest revision as of 17:30, 23 May 2024

This article is about digital rights management system. For other uses, see Fair Play (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with AirPlay.

FairPlay is a family of digital rights management (DRM) technologies developed by Apple Inc. for protecting videos, books and apps and historically for music.[1]

Music[edit]

The initial version of FairPlay was created to protect music on the iTunes Store, and is the only version of FairPlay that is no longer actively used.[2]

Technical details[edit]

FairPlay is built into the MP4 multimedia file format as an encrypted AAC audio layer. FairPlay-protected files are regular MP4 container files with an encrypted AAC audio layer. The layer is encrypted using the AES algorithm. The master key required to decrypt the audio layer is also stored in encrypted form in the MP4 container file. The key required to decrypt the master key is called the "user key".[3][4] When a user registers a new computer with iTunes, the device requests authorization from Apple's servers, thereby gaining a user key. Upon attempting to play a file, the master key stored within the file is then matched to the user key, and if successful, allows playing.[4] FairPlay allows music to be synchronized to an unlimited number of iPods and tracks to be burned to an unlimited number of CDs, though a given playlist can only be burned 7 times without being modified (a limitation which can be circumvented by changing a song's placement). Playback is limited to five computers which were authorized through iTunes;[5] a computer can be deauthorized and another authorized in its place.[6] Before April 2004, the limits were ten playlist burns, and three computers; Apple reduced the playlist limit to seven due to demands from record labels.[7]

Lawsuit[edit]

In January 2005, an iTunes customer filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the company broke antitrust laws by using FairPlay with iTunes in a way that purchased music would work only with the company's own music player, the iPod, freezing out competitors.[8] In March 2011, Bloomberg reported that Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs would be required to provide testimony through a deposition.[9] In May 2012, the case was changed into a class action lawsuit.[10][8] Around the same time, the main antitrust allegation was changed to cover the belief that Apple had deliberately updated the iTunes software with security patches in a way that prevented synchronization compatibility with competing music stores.[11] All iPod owners who had purchased their device between September 12, 2006, and March 31, 2009, were included in the class action lawsuit, unless they opted out.[10][8] In December 2014, Apple went to trial against the claims raised, with the opposing party's plaintiff lawyers seeking $350 million in damages for nearly eight million affected customers.[12][13] A few weeks later, the case was closed, with the jury deciding in Apple's favor, citing a then-new version of iTunes as being a "genuine product improvement".[14][15]

Circumvention/removal[edit]

The restrictions imposed by FairPlay, mainly limited device compatibility, have sparked criticism, with a lawsuit alleging antitrust violation that was eventually closed in Apple's favor, and various successful efforts to remove the DRM protection from files, with Apple continually updating its software to counteract such projects.

After the introduction of the FairPlay system, multiple parties have attempted and succeeded to circumvent or remove the encryption of FairPlay-protected files. In October 2006, Jon Johansen announced he had reverse engineered FairPlay and would start to license the technology to companies wanting their media to play on Apple's devices.[16][17] Various media publications have written about DRM removal software,[18][19] though Apple has continually made efforts in updating its software to counteract these options, resulting in upgraded DRM systems and discontinued DRM removal software.[20][21]

RealNetworks and Harmony technology[edit]

In July 2004, RealNetworks introduced its Harmony technology. The Harmony technology was built into the company's RealPlayer and allowed users of the RealPlayer Music Store to play their songs on the iPod.[22][23] In a press release, RealNetworks argued that Harmony was a boon to consumers that "frees" them "from the limitation of being locked into a specific portable device when they buy digital music."[24] In response, Apple issued a statement:[25][26]

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.

RealNetworks launched an Internet petition titled "Hey Apple! Don't break my iPod", encouraging iPod users to sign up to support Real's action. The petition backfired, with comments criticizing Real's tactics, though some commentators also supported it.[27] At the end of 2004, Apple had updated its software in a way that broke the Harmony technology, prompting RealNetworks to promise a then-upcoming fix.[28]

In August 2005, an SEC filing by RealNetworks disclosed that continued use of the Harmony technology put themselves at considerable risk because of the possibility of a lawsuit from Apple, which would be expensive to defend against, even if the court agreed that the technology was legal. Additionally, the possibility that Apple could change its technology to purposefully "break" Harmony's function raised the possibility that Real's business could be harmed.[29][30]

Hymn[edit]

Hymn (which stands for Hear Your Music aNywhere) was an open-source tool that allowed users to remove the FairPlay DRM of music bought from the iTunes Store.[31][32][33] It was later supplanted by QTFairUse6.[34] The Hymn project later shut down after a cease and desist from Apple.[35]

Steve Jobs' "Thoughts on Music" open letter[edit]

On February 6, 2007, Steve Jobs, then-CEO of Apple, published an open letter titled "Thoughts on Music" on the Apple website, calling on the "big four" record labels to sell their music without DRM technology. According to the letter, Apple did not want to use DRM, but was forced to by the four major music labels, with whom Apple has license agreements for iTunes sales of music. Jobs' main points were:[36][37]

  • DRM has never been, and will never be, perfect. Hackers will always find a method to break DRM.
  • DRM restrictions only hurt people using music legally. Illegal users aren't affected by DRM.
  • The restrictions of DRM encourage users to obtain unrestricted music, which is usually only possible via illegal methods; thus, circumventing iTunes and their revenues.
  • The vast majority of music is sold without DRM via CDs, which have proven commercial success.

Reactions[edit]

Although the open letter initially caused mixed industry reactions, Apple signed a deal with a major record label the following month to offer iTunes customers a purchase option for a higher-quality, DRM-free version of the label's tracks.

Jobs' letter was met with mixed reactions. Bloomberg highlighted several viewpoints. David Pakman, President of non-DRM music retailer eMusic, agreed with Jobs, stating that "consumers prefer a world where the media they purchase is playable on any device, regardless of its manufacturer, and is not burdened by arbitrary usage restrictions. DRM only serves to restrict consumer choice, prevents a larger digital music market from emerging, and often makes consumers unwitting accomplices to the ambitions of technology companies". Mike Bebel, CEO of music subscription service Ruckus, explained his view that the letter was an effort to shift focus, saying that "This is a way for Steve Jobs to take the heat off the fact that he won't open up his proprietary DRM. ... The labels have every right to protect their content, and I don't see it as a vow of good partnership to turn the tables on the labels and tell them they should just get rid of all DRM... He is trying to spin the controversy." An anonymous music label executive said that "it's ironic that the guy who has the most successful example of DRM at every step of the process, the one where people bought boatloads of music last Christmas, is suddenly changing his tune".[38] In an article from The New York Times, Ted Cohen, managing partner at TAG Strategic, commented that the change could be "a clear win for the consumer electronics device world, but a potential disaster for the content companies". The Recording Industry Association of America put particular emphasis on Jobs' self-rejected idea about licensing its FairPlay technology to other companies, saying that such licensing would be "a welcome breakthrough and would be a real victory for fans, artists and labels".[39]

iTunes Store DRM changes[edit]

In April 2007, Apple and the record label EMI announced that iTunes Store would begin offering, as an additional higher purchasing option, tracks from EMI's catalog encoded as 256 kbit/s AAC without FairPlay or any other DRM.[40] In January 2009, Apple announced that the entire iTunes Store music catalog would become available in the higher-quality, DRM-free format, after reaching agreements with all the major record labels as well as "thousands of independent labels".[41][42][43] Apple Music, Apple's subscription-based music streaming service launched on June 30, 2015,[44] uses the DRM technology.[45]

FairPlay Streaming[edit]

FairPlay Streaming (FPS) protects video transferred over HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) on iOS devices, in Apple TV, and in Safari on macOS. The content provider's server first delivers video to the client application encrypted with the content key using the AES cipher. The application then requests a session key from the device's FairPlay module. The session key is a randomly generated nonce which is RSA encrypted with the provider's public key and delivered to the provider's server. The provider's server encrypts the content key using the session key and delivers it to the FairPlay module, which decrypts it and uses it to decrypt the content for playback.[46]

On iOS and Apple TV, the session key handling and content decryption is done in the kernel, while on macOS it is done using Safari's FairPlay Content Decryption Module.

Books[edit]

Apps[edit]

Apps downloaded from the App Store are protected and code signed using a variant of FairPlay DRM for apps. FairPlay DRM creates a public/private key pair when a device is registered with an iCloud account, and encrypting app encryption keys using the "public" key (which is kept on Apple's servers) in order to decrypt them on the device using the "private" key.[47][better source needed]

Problems[edit]

In July 2012, an issue with the creation of FairPlay-protected apps caused binaries to become corrupt and stop working.[48]

A flaw allowing a form of man-in-the-middle attack can be used to install malware when an iOS device is connected to a computer.[49]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bishop, Bryan (February 25, 2012). "Apple's FairPlay DRM for iBooks cracked by Requiem app". The Verge. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Fisher, William W. III (June 15, 2004). iTunes: How Copyright, Contract, and Technology Shape the Business of Digital Media — A Case Study (PDF) (Report). Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society research publication. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Venkataramu, Ramya. "Analysis and enhancement of Apple's FairPlay digital rights management" (PDF). Department of Computer Science. San Jose State University. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Dilger, Daniel Eran (February 26, 2007). "How FairPlay Works: Apple's iTunes DRM Dilemma". Roughly Drafted. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Mossberg, Walter S. (August 11, 2005). "ITunes's Usage Limits". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Wherry, Mark (November 2003). "iTunes Music Store". Sound on Sound. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  7. ^ "ITunes Birthday Gift: More Songs". Wired. April 28, 2004. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Golson, Jordan (May 9, 2012). "iPod Lawsuit Against Apple Given Class-Action Status". MacRumors. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  9. ^ Slivka, Eric (March 22, 2011). "Steve Jobs Required to Provide Deposition in 2005 iTunes Antitrust Case". MacRumors. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Cheng, Jacqui (May 9, 2012). "iPod owners being notified of class-action antitrust suit against Apple". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Tibken, Shara (December 1, 2014). "Apple's iPod antitrust class action suit: All you need to know (FAQ)". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  12. ^ Singleton, Micah (December 2, 2014). "Apple is just now going to trial over the music DRM it killed in 2009". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Mullin, Joe (December 2, 2014). "Was Apple's iPod DRM illegal? Starting today, a jury decides". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  14. ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke (December 16, 2014). "Apple Wins iPod Antitrust Trial". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved July 8, 2017. (subscription required)
  15. ^ Yuhas, Alan (December 16, 2014). "Antitrust lawsuit against Apple: 10 years in the making, shot down in three hours". The Guardian. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  16. ^ Gannes, Liz (October 2, 2006). "DVD Jon Fairplays Apple". Gigaom. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  17. ^ "iTunes copy protection 'cracked'". October 25, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "How Fairplay Works on Apple iTunes Content, like iTunes Movies/TV Shows, Music and eBook?". 9to5Mac. June 19, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  19. ^ Hamilton, Dave (September 2, 2015). "How iTunes Movie DRM-Removal Software Keeps Me Honest". The Mac Observer. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  20. ^ Tanous, Jim (September 2, 2015). "The iTunes DRM Removal Saga: NoteBurner and a Look Back at Requiem". TekRevue. Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  21. ^ Bozovic, Novak (April 17, 2018). "TuneFab Apple Music Converter Review – Quite Simple Yet Quite Powerful!". Technadu. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  22. ^ Cohen, Peter (July 26, 2004). "RealNetworks' Harmony promises iPod compatibility". Macworld. International Data Group. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  23. ^ Bangeman, Eric (July 26, 2004). "RealNetworks cracks the FairPlay code". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  24. ^ "RealNetworks introduces Harmony, enabling consumers to buy digital music that plays on all popular devices". RealNetworks. July 26, 2004. Archived from the original on August 4, 2004. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  25. ^ Dalrymple, Jim (July 29, 2004). "Apple responds to RealNetworks iPod 'hacker' tactics". Macworld. International Data Group. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  26. ^ Bangeman, Eric (July 29, 2004). "Apple responds to RealNetworks FairPlay hack". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  27. ^ Best, Jo (August 18, 2004). "Real v Apple music war: iPod freedom petition backfires". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  28. ^ Cohen, Peter (December 16, 2004). "RealNetworks promises iPod lockout fix". Macworld. International Data Group. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  29. ^ "Real reveals real Apple legal threat". Macworld. International Data Group. August 10, 2005. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  30. ^ "Real admits risk of Apple lawsuit". AppleInsider. August 10, 2005. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  31. ^ WIRED Staff. "FairPlay Bad. PlayFair Good". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  32. ^ Smith, Tony (January 13, 2005). "Apple brings discord to Hymn". The Register. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  33. ^ "The history of Hymn, JHymn, and QTFairUse". reincubate.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  34. ^ "QTFairUse6: is Hymn finally back to strip FairPlay on iTunes 6?". Engadget. July 20, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  35. ^ Evans, Jonny (February 25, 2008). "iTunes legal silences Hymn". The Standard. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
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External links[edit]

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