Apple Hacks the Hackers: iBooks Stops Working With Greenpois0n Hack

If you were watching the news scene regarding Apple jailbreaking, you probably noticed some consternation from people that ran the latest Greenpois0n hack on iOS 4.2.1. It seems that it’s causing a DRM check on e-books, causing the iBooks app to refuse to read purchased, DRM-protected content. While this is being criticized as an attack on the jailbreak community, reports are pointing towards it being a legitimate defense against piracy of copyrighted content.

The big question I initially asked myself was if this was against the law on Apple’s part, since jailbreaking has been deemed legal. Can Apple just say they’re protecting publisher owned content in a case like this, or will we see a suit claiming that Apple is blocking access to paid content on jailbroken phones? I’m not a lawyer, but I’m guessing the former in a case like this. It’s all well and good to determine that jailbreaking isn’t anything criminal, but if you can break DRM and just take said content to any device, I think Apple has a case.

By way of an update, the iPhone Dev-Team has already released an update to their popular PwnageTool that applies a workaround for the DRM check. I guess we’ll be able to see first-hand what Apple’s intentions are if they respond to this update with patches or fixes.

I can tell you one thing for certain; Apple’s not doing a lot of things to make themselves well-liked at the moment. What do you think? Do you have a jailbroken iPhone? What are your thoughts on DRM content inside of a sandbox like iOS as opposed to a device neutral DRM approach like Google or Amazong? Let me know in the comments.

Jason Kennedy avoids using iTunes for media purchases, and in general iTunes causes fits of sneezing and swelling. You can follow him on Twitter .

Like this? You might also enjoy…

Get your GeekTech on: Twitter – Facebook – RSS | Tip us off

Like this? You might also enjoy…

Coupon Codes