Full FeedApple issues Cease and Desist for iTunes database analysis
Amazing though the iPhone/iPod touch platform may be, its hardly what you’d call “open.” Apple’s been a total control freak about what applications can be installed on it, and every piece of music, software, and video that goes on its new gadget has to do so through iTunes. But some iPod users have been analyzing the the database that each iPod generates as a way to sync to it using other software. Apple, of course, doesn’t want that to happen, and now they’ve issued a Cease and Desist order under the reviled DMCA to prevent users from collaborating on a wiki.
The Electronic Frontiers Foundation reports:
At the heart of this is the iTunesDB file, the index that the iPod operating system uses to keep track of what playable media is on the device. Unless an application can write new data to this file, it won’t be able to “sync” music or other content to an iPod. The iTunesDB file has never been encrypted and is relatively well understood. In iPods released after September 2007, however, Apple introduced a checksum hash to make it difficult for applications other than iTunes to write new data to the iTunesDB file, thereby hindering an iPod owner’s ability to use alternative software (like gtkpod, Winamp, or Songbird) to manage the files on her iPod.
Now, you may be thinking, “Of course Apple has the right to protect the reverse engineering of their own software, and protect their copyright!” But is it their software? You’re not going to believe this, but the EFF says “no.”
The iTunesDB file is not authored by Apple, nor does it appear that Apple has any copyright interest in it. Instead, the iTunesDB file on every iPod is the result of the individual choices each iPod owner makes in deciding what music and other media to put on her iPod. In other words, the iTunesDB file is to iTunes as this blog post is to Safari—when I use Safari to produce a new work, I own the copyright in the resulting file, not Apple.
So if the iTunesDB file is the copyrighted work being protected here, then the iPod owner has every right to circumvent the protection measure, since they own the copyright to the iTunesDB file on their own iPod.
There’s also a fascinating exemption to the reverse engineering clause that seems to apply to exactly the situation at hand.
How much ownership does Apple have of your iPod, or the software you “generate” with your applications? Can they legally prevent you from altering your preferences to enable your Apple products to do things they don’t want you to do? And what’s at stake for them if people use other apps to sync their iPods?
Via [the EFF]
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Is anyone going to come out and say it? Apple sucks!
on November 26, 2008 at 07:27 PM - LINKSure, they make beautiful amazing products, but they just suck as people. They hate and screw everyone that they come in contact with.
Constantly obsoleting products and accessories. Suing everyone who makes their products more useful. Backstabbing all of their business partners.
They just suck and it comes down from the monomaniacal despot at the top.
Cant’ we all just say it?
So very few people get upset because they can’t use third-party products to force their way into the iTunes database. Big deal, compared to the vast majority of people who would just prefer to get a nice, clean, dependable program that works the way it’s supposed to every time.
Say what you want, CM, but fewer people will agree with you than you expect.
on November 26, 2008 at 07:52 PM - LINKI have to agree with Kirk. The beauty of the Mac world is that everything works together. If Apple doesn’t want you to mess around with certain files, it must be for some reason.
on November 26, 2008 at 08:05 PM - LINKActually you would be equally surprised at the number of people who would agree with VitaminCM. I certainly do.
The Apple DRM is draconian (as is all other DRM). Good luck playing your store bought music if you ever decide to switch to a superior operating system, even though you have a license and are legally allowed to play it.
Additionally the iPod firmware has a tendency to crash. See, the software that Apple writes is crappy, whereas the hardware they ship is typically top-notch. I installed linux iPod and haven’t had a single problem since.
Apple also likes to try and lock down their hardware. Have you ever tried installing a better operating system, like linux or even Windows, on a Mac? Without using Boot Camp, but instead with linux/Windows as the only OS? It doesn’t work out too well.
If you haven’t noticed, Apple has a tendency of trying to force you to use their products. Sounds a lot like Microsoft. They consistently try and force people to use the latest Microsoft products, such as forcing people to upgrade to MS Vista if they wanted to play Halo 2.
Oh, and hate to break it to the Mac fans, but Mac OS X isn’t really that revolutionary. Linux has been using various docks for years, and the OS X interface looks surprisingly familiar to Gnome. All Apple did was put an over-glossy and in my opinion ugly skin to Unix and made everything but the kernel (and other core items) proprietary.
And not being able to get into the iTunes database is a big deal. It is essentially taking away the choices that we have, locking us into the Apple world and out of their competitor’s. What Apple needs to realize is that the majority of the dummies using computers don’t even realize that there are third party applications out there. All they are doing is locking out people like me who will never buy from the iTunes store anyway (and you do know that forcing people to use iTunes makes business sense because of the attached store, right?)
I received my iPod as a gift, and thankfully it is from before they locked down their database, but you can sure bet that when this one breaks I will not be buying another iPod. Or ever any Apple product at that.
on December 4, 2008 at 01:08 AM - LINKDon’t be a hater. I mean, what happened? Did Apple kick your dog or something? Steal your lunch money? Run off with your best girl?
on December 4, 2008 at 07:26 AM - LINKNo, Apple just created a bunch of arrogant fan boys that like to pretend they are superior because they are using Mac OS X. I am sick of the false advertising that Apple throws at the general public, and I am sick of their attempts to force me to use their products. Unlike most of the population, I would like to have the freedom to customize my iPod or other Apple products however I choose. Fortunately I still have the choice to not use Apple products, and as stated above I will never again purchase their crap. The MS Zune looks like a better choice these days.
on December 4, 2008 at 04:57 PM - LINKActually, you’ve got that wrong, there. It’s because we’re superior that we use OS X. Not the other way around.
on December 4, 2008 at 06:01 PM - LINKZune? C’mon! That ugly thing exists thanks to the iPod.
on December 4, 2008 at 07:05 PM - LINK