iPhone DRM App Claims It Can Stop All Pirates

In a response to the increase in iPhone application piracy, software developer Ripdev has developed a DRM system that it claims will stop all known iPhone cracking schemes.  With the release of piracy software such as Crackulous, hacking iPhone applications has become as easy as the push of a virtual button.

Ripdev explains that its Kali DRM is designed to "wrap" a developer's application in another layer of code protection that, if cracked, will cause the original software to be corrupted and cease to function or function correctly.  Ripdev also claims that its DRM code is compliant with the iPhone SDK and is also passing Apple's approval process and selling on the App Store.

Because every application released on the App Store has the ability to "phone home" and allow its developer to track the application's usage, cases of specific piracy rates can be tracked as in the case with "Whack 'em All".  Ripdev has quotes from various developers claiming that their applications are being legitimately used by only 8-percent to 30-percent of total users reported.

Kali is not quite ready for primetime as today is the launch of the beta, but Ripdev has been "working on it for months".  In an interview with TorrentFreak, Ripdev explains that Kali is a server side implementation, which allows it to continually evolve to combat new means of cracking. However, the DRM itself will not "phone home" so to protect the privacy of the users and the developer.  Kali will also function with legitimate applications installed on Jailbroken iPhones.

Ripdev plans on a license based system for Kali; developers will be charged an upfront fee with royalties for each additional piece of software protected.  You can view the official licensing agreement here (PDF LINK).  However, Ripdev is so confident in its software, it has issued a challenge to iPhone pirates via TorrentFreak: “Expect more and more apps to be much, much harder to crack in the near future.”  This could spell trouble as crackers have a tendency to not take challenges lightly.

Ripdev is a Swedish owned company that was heavily involved with the development of the first commercial localization tool for the iPhone with the "Russian Project".  More recently, it is the maker of the "Installer" app used to install applications on Jailbroken iPhones.