The Norwegian who became a hacker hero for developing software to crack DVD encryption has posted a program to break the lock on Google’s brand-new video viewer.
Jon Lech Johansen’s latest program was posted on his ”So sue me” website on Tuesday. That was just one day after Google, the internet-leading search engine, launched free software allowing users to watch videos.
However, the company modified Google Video Player, which uses the VLC multimedia player program, to only play videos hosted on the Mountain View, California-based company’s own servers.
The 21-year-old Johansen, also known as DVD-Jon, posted a small ”patch” program on his home page that modifies Google’s program, allowing it to play videos hosted on any server.
Google’s shares have more than tripled to over $300 in the 10 months since their debut. Most of the company’s income is from online advertising, although it could boost revenues by charging for some videos in the future.
The company has been stockpiling amateur and professional videos since April, when it asked users to submit their images, and the new viewer allows them to sample the collection for free.
Johansen became a hero to hackers at age 15, when he posted software to unlock the codes the film industry used on DVD movies to prevent illegal copying. He was charged in Norway with data break-ins, but was acquitted twice.
The Norwegian, an open source advocate, has also repeatedly posted programs that circumvent Apple iTunes’ music copy-protection technologies this year. – Sapa-AP