SlySoft: Blu-ray fully cracked

The ongoing war between the pro- and anti-DRM crowds continues with the news that SlySoft has released a new version of its AnyDVD HD duplication software capable of breaking the protection on "all commercial Blu-ray releases."

According to BetaNews, the Antigua-based company has created a new version – 6.5.0.3 – of its software which makes light work of the much-vaunted BD+ protection built into commercially produced Blu-ray films. This latest version, described in traditionally tactful terms by the company as "incredible magic," allows on-the-fly duplication of commercial Blu-ray discs without the need for an HDCP-compliant display device.

This isn't the first time that the company has claimed a breakthrough against the Macrovision-owned BD+ technology: we reported back in March that SlySoft had completed the work of cracking the protection technology. With BD+, however, that's never the end of the story: Macrovision's innovative DRM system allows for the underlying codes to be changed on a whim – meaning that it only takes a single update from the company to render SlySoft's work moot.

SlySoft, which takes advantage of lax copyright and intellectual property laws in Antigua to sell its software commercially via the Internet, is increasingly aware of this shortcoming: while previous versions of AnyDVD have come with a policy of free lifetime updates, the company is planning to offer an annual update scheme instead from January next year in order to cover the costs of attacking a continually-shifting target.

Despite the increased difficulties in breaking BD+ compared to the CSS system used by DVDs, it's clear that the content protection companies are on the losing side of this continuing battle.

Do you applaud SlySoft's efforts to show big business that efforts at DRM are ultimately futile, or is the company just attempting to make a quick buck at the expense of the IP holders? Share your thoughts over in the forums.