Hacker unlocks limits on playback
A hacker known for cracking the copy-protection technology in DVDs claims to have unlocked the playback restrictions of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod and iTunes music products and plans to license his code to others.
The move by Jon Lech Johansen, also known as “DVD Jon,” could pit the 22-year-old against Apple’s lawyers, experts say, but if successful could free users from some restrictions Apple and its rivals place on digital music.
Today, songs purchased from Apple’s online iTunes Music Store can’t be played on portable devices made by other companies. Songs purchased from many other online music stores also won’t work on iPods because they similarly use a form of copy-protection that Apple doesn’t support.
Johansen said he has developed a way to get around those restrictions.
An unnamed client will soon use the technology so its copy-protected content will be playable on iPods, said Monique Farantzos, managing director for Johansen’s DoubleTwist Ventures.
Washington
Bankruptcy filings low but growing
A year after a tough new law took effect, the number of indebted consumers filing bankruptcy remains historically low but has steadily increased since the first quarter of 2006, new data show.
Consumer bankruptcy filings continued to increase in every region in the third quarter of this year, according to the data released Tuesday.
It tallied 160,198 new filings in the July-September period, down sharply from 509,626 in the third quarter of 2005 but up from 102,949 in the first quarter of this year and 142,815 in the second quarter.
Morgantown, W.Va.
Coal miners seek safety measures
Dozens of West Virginia and Pennsylvania coal miners protested at a federal mine safety office Tuesday, demanding stronger safety measures and better enforcement in the nation’s coal mines.
A day earlier, a Pennsylvania miner was killed in an explosion, bringing the number of coal-mine fatalities to 42 this year.
About 60 members of the United Mine Workers gathered outside the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration’s District 3 headquarters in Morgantown, where the agency’s district managers were meeting.