Student Finds iTunes Loophole

Bill Zeller '06, a Tutorial College student, has developed software that allows Windows iTunes users to save songs from other computers on their own hard drives. Released 10 days after Apples' Windows edition of iTunes came out, MyTunes, as Zeller has dubbed it, "is a free program that runs along side iTunes and gives it added capabilities" according to his Web site, www.cowpimp.com

iTunes plays music in MP3 format or music that has been imported to a computer's hard drive from an audio CD. It also allows music to be burned onto CDs and features an online music store where users can purchase individual tracks for 99 cents each. Songs purchased from Mac's music store cannot be copied using MyTunes.

Once a Mac only application, iTunes was recently released for PC users as well.

In an effort to combat Internet music piracy, iTunes allows individual users to listen to music located on other computers on a local network such as Trinity's, but it does not allow music to be copied from one hard drive to another.

MyTunes has been available online since Oct. 26. It had been written about only on a few foreign Web sites until Nov. 14, when a story ran on computing magazine MacCentral's Web site.

The story was subsequently syndicated in the online edition of the New York Times while other stories ran on cnet.com and in the online version of PCWorld. News of Zeller's program spread like wildfire over the Internet.

The volume of traffic on his Web site escalated exponentially, growing from 148 visitors Nov. 10 to a peak of 17,798 Nov. 17. Over the weekend the numbers dropped substantially, with less than 6,000 people finding their way to the site Saturday and Sunday.

Originally, Zeller's Web site was hosted on the Trinity network. Nov. 4 he removed it to a server he rents bandwidth from after someone emailed the College asserting that Zeller's program was illegal.

According to Zeller, College officials sent him an email telling him that should a cease and desist order be delivered to them he would have to prove that he was not violating any laws.

"They were very cool about it," he said. "I took it off then to avoid conflict."

College network administrators could not be reached for comment.

To date, Zeller has not been contacted by Apple or the Recording Industry Association of America. He is actively seeking to hire a lawyer, but has as yet been unsuccessful. "I'm hopeful that one will materialize," he said.

With the small amount of bandwidth he rented being gobbled up at a staggering rate, his site crashed once. Appealing for donations of bandwidth, he was offered a substantial amount by a random individual, allowing the site to stay active. "It's not costing me anything additional right now."

He has also written an upgrade to the original version of MyTunes that solved several configuration problems.

His Web site makes numerous references to Internet music piracy. "If you plan on stealing music, do not download this software. If you plan on infringing upon copyrights, do not download this software," he cautions visitors. He also provides a link to the RIAA's anti-piracy Web site.

Reactions to Zeller's program have been varied and passionate. He has received a flood of emails. Those who send him thankful notes are typically PC users, while those with negative reactions are generally Mac users, Zeller explained.

One email Zeller received, laced with expletives, read, "I hope to god you will be sewed [sic]. You should go to jail and never use another computer again ... I would like to be reasonable, but I hate all Windows users ... I don't even know you, and I HATE you already."

However, Zeller noted that he has received numerous emails from Mac users asking him to write a Mac version of his program.