Until now the only downloaded tracks that could be played on an
iPod were those purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store. But it
seems that RealNetworks has reverse-engineered the iPod.
"Compatibility is key to bringing digital music to the masses,"
explained Rob Glaser, founder and CEO of RealNetworks. "Before
Harmony, consumers buying digital music got locked into a specific
kind of portable player. Harmony changes all that. Thanks to
Harmony, consumers don't have to worry about technology when buying
music. Now anyone can buy music, move it to their favourite
portable device, and it will just work, just like the way DVD and
CDs work."
It appears that Harmony interferes with the digital rights
management (DRM) software contained in devices like the iPod, so
that it is no longer limited to playing music only from sources
permitted by that device. Instead it will also play music
downloaded from RealNetworks' own music site.
The move "stunned" Apple, which released a statement on Thursday
declaring that it was taking legal advice. RealNetworks, it said,
had used "the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the
iPod."
Apple was focusing in particular, said the statement, on whether
RealNetworks had breached the controversial Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA), which restricts the circumvention of
copy-protection systems.
However, the DMCA has a specific exception for reverse
engineering for "the sole purpose of identifying and analysing
those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve
interoperability of an independently created computer program with
other programs," and this, argues RealNetworks, is all it has
done.
Responding to Apple, RealNetworks said: "Harmony follows in a
well-established tradition of fully legal, independently developed
paths to achieve compatibility. There is ample and clear precedent
for this activity, for instance, the first IBM compatible PCs from
Compaq."
"Consumers, and not Apple, should be the ones choosing what
music goes on their iPod," it added.
Apple has already warned consumers that Harmony may not be
compatible with future updates of the iPod software.
