Johansen, who originally released the DeCSS code, and went thru several court battles over it, has
released DeDRMS. Here's some
Slashdot discussion on it. Johansen also released the code that FairPlay was based on, which Apple has been systematically removing from the internet.
Anyway, back to DeDRM. The readme states
Quote:
DeDRMS requires that you already have the user key file(s) for
your files. The user key file(s) can be generated by playing
your files with the VideoLAN Client [1][2].
DeDRMS does not remove the UserID, name and email address.
The purpose of DeDRMS is to enable Fair Use, not facilitate
copyright infringement.
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So I assume this utility doesn't 'crack' DRM so that anyone can play a file, but only removes restrictions for those that currently have the right to play that file. Of course once that is done the resulting file can be pirated, so it is kind of a moot point as far as the RIAA is concerned. However, it does give the tool some moral standing in my opinion, if not legal.