Thursday, August 18,2005 @ 7:40am
Apple moves 'aggressively' to limit OS X x86 videos
Apple is moving aggressively to limit the spread of the videos showing Intel-based versions of Mac OS X running on standard PCs. The company has reportedly sent "cease and desist" orders to news websites as well as other parties, demanding that the sites remove links to the videos showing "hacked" versions of Mac OS X running on non-Apple certified systems. Mac website MacBidouille reports that it received an "amazingly aggressive email asking for the immediate removal of all links to the videos." The site, along with other sites on the Internet, had used the videos to support news reports that hackers were able to successfully workaround Apple's a special TPM chip (Trusted Platform Module), which was designed to prevent Mac OS X from running on third-party computers.
Apple's TPM authentication scheme was designed to prevent users from installing Mac OS X for Intel CPUs on non-Apple certified PCs. Following the initial reports of success, hackers published videos, instructions, and even (illegally) distributed versions of the "hacked" operating system on file sharing sites such as Bitorrent.
Following the June announcement of its upcoming switch to the Intel-based architecture, the company provided developers with Mac OS X running on special pre-release models of Intel-based Macs ("Mactels"). Copies of the operating system were leaked and following initial reports of Apple's DRM to limit Mac OS X to Mactels, hackers worked to bypass Apple's system.
While the French news site immediately complied, the site said in an editorial that it had published the links to support its news reporting, but that it would have likely removed the links at Apple's request.
"We have removed the requested links, but we deeply think that it will not change anything regarding the problem affecting Cupertino. Indeed, Apple is using its legal department only when things go really wrong.
The video that we have published was only posted online to prove our comments and news."