Microsoft, the biggest software manufacturer in the world have filed a lawsuit against the hacker that created FairUse4WM, the application which originally appeared in August. The application reportedly has the ability to bypass Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology which is supposed to restrict the use of online purchased media to ensure copyright is not infringed. The FairUse4WM program strips DRM from Microsoft's WMA (Windows Media Audio) format of all copyright restrictions, allowing users to do what they want with the audio files.

Over the past month Microsoft has issued numerous patches in order to try and thwart the FairUse4WM threat, however the hacker, known only as 'Viodentia', has been keeping one step behind Microsoft, releasing new versions of the program when Microsoft update their DRM software.  Due to the promptness of Viodenta's releases, Microsoft claims that he has access to Microsoft source code and have therefore filed a lawsuit against him.

In a post on the Internet on Wednesday, Viodentia denied using any copyrighted Microsoft source code code, and as if in an effort to provoke Microsoft even more, released an updated version of his DRM-cracking tool. "FairUse4WM has been my own creation, and has never involved Microsoft source code," said Viodentia. "I link with Microsoft's static libraries provided with the compiler and various platform SDK (software development kit) files."

Is Viodentia an innocent person wanting the free distribution of data or a strategic hacker with a personal vendetta against Microsoft - Sound off in the comments!

There have been rumors going around about a program called Fairuse4wm being available on the internet which is said to be capable of bypassing Microsoft's Digital Rights Management system. While this could be good news to some, it's definitely the opposite case for Microsoft and for online music stores.

For the benefit of those who do not know, DRM (Digital Rights Management)  is designed to restrict the use of purchased music online to ensure copyright is not infringed. Now we've heard that a message on the doom9.org forum put up links to an application called Fair Use for Windows Media, and is now being circulated among different websites. This application is said to be capable of circumventing the DRM system. How it works: the application strips Windows Media audio (wma) files of Microsoft's DRM 10 or 11 protection, and removes usage restrictions.

Senior product manager for Windows Client Division Marcus Matthias said "Microsoft is aware that a tool recently surfaced that circumvents Windows Media Digital Rights Management technology.Fortunately, the Windows Media DRM system has built-in renewability, we have an update to address the circumvention, and are working with our partners to deploy this solution." Other than that, Microsoft has remained unavailable for comment.

However, owners of websites that allow song downloads, such as Paul Myers of Wippit, think that perhaps this calls for legal unrestricted content being made as the norm for online music downloads, instead of it being the exception. Myers also thinks that the spread of the Fairuse4wm could encourage more hackers to attempt to breach Microsoft's DRM system. Hopefully, Microsoft is already working on a system upgrade to deal with future attempts to crumble their current DRM system.

Sandisk have announced a 8GB media player before Apple have. The Sandisk e280 features a massive mini 8GB hard drive, a micro-SD slot which supports expansion of total storage up to 10GB. Along with the rest of the Sandisk e200 series, this one supports music, videos and photos and has an all-new open DRM system which allows users to purchase songs or access subscription download services from numerous sources. Here's a full feature list courtesy of Sandisk:

• Digital FM tuner, on-the-fly FM recording 
• Voice recording with a built-in microphone
• Sleek, thin design with large 1.8” TFT color screen for easy viewing and advanced navigational features within an easy to use interface
• User replaceable and rechargeable Lithium Ion battery for up to 20 hours of battery life
• Scratch resistant alloy metal back casing provides excellent durability
• Multi-pin universal connector for future accessory upgrades, battery charging and USB 2.0 connectivity

The Sandisk Sansa e280 support MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) in both unprotected and protected files (such as those WMA files purchased from music stores) for music as well as an unspecified amount of video formats. The e280 has an RRP of $249.99 and can store up to 2,00 MP3's on it's 8GB hard drive providing 128 hours of playback.

Ever have trouble moving content between your phone and your computer? Well, that may be getting a bit easier. NTT DoCoMo of Japan announced it will be porting Windows Media DRM (Digital Rights Management) to its 3G handsets, which will mean content can be moved between phones and PCs bypassing the Open Mobile Alliance DRM.

Microsoft will grab a big customer base with Windows Media technologies on all NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 3G handsets. And the agreement will also mean an alliance of partners in DoCoMo's i-Mode mobile internet platform who may be looking to put Microsoft DRM into their devices, too.

How many people could this affect? Well, i-Mode has 250m subscribers in 15 countries, and over 50m use the content and internet platform. Most handset makers don't want to port Windows Media DRM to anything other than Windows Mobile, since it gives Microsoft a foothold to build on their phone architecture. However, it may be good for us consumers down the road. By supporting Windows Media Audio and potentially adding VC-1, a Windows Media bundled codec, phones could have direct access to online music and video services, with or without a connection to a PC.

DoCoMo's F902iS model, scheduled to ship this summer will be the first to include Microsoft's Windows Media Audio and Digital Rights Management 10 software. DoCoMo says they are evaluating Microsoft's Windows Media Video for future handsets. Support for Windows Media technologies means that these phones will work with over 100 online music services.

Now, the question is whether Microsoft's Windows Media DRM will be licensed to other, non-Microsoft platforms, and offered to other operators.