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Signing Keys and the DMCA
Posted by Astrid on 21 September 2009, 08:13 GMT

Continuing in our key-factoring saga (previously and more recently), it appears that United-TI has received a DMCA notice from TI asking them to remove the user-posted copy of the keys from public availability. United-TI complied with the request.

United-TI staff member DarkerLine has posted on the issue. He writes,

As a result of another DMCA notice, this one directed at United-TI, I've gone back and deleted a few of the keys (the notice said nothing about the app keys, so I've left those up, although that may change in the future as well). I'm sure there are other places to find them, the aforementioned Wikileaks being one, so this doesn't seem like a terribly big deal.

The keys are available at wikileaks and elsewhere.

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Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
haveacalc  Account Info

Because this ordeal seems to be in legal ambiguity, I'd point out that halting the distribution of these keys, as TI requests that we do, comes down to courtesy. It seems silly for them to ask this of the community whose future they stymied as much they could by releasing the most closed graphing calculator family to date. Tit for tat has no place in the interpretation of legislation, but that doesn't seem to be the issue here. I, for one, would take them more seriously if they could be more responsive with matters pertaining to Nspire.

Reply to this comment    21 September 2009, 08:36 GMT

Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
KermMartian  Account Info
(Web Page)

Might I direct you all to a Slashdot-frontpage pingback?

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/09/21/ 1418256/TI-vs-Calculator- Hackers?art_pos=2

(or click my URL on this post)

Reply to this comment    21 September 2009, 16:49 GMT


Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
nyall Account Info
(Web Page)

groovy. I forgot I had made that submission to slashdot. Its been a busy day.

Reply to this comment    22 September 2009, 03:33 GMT

Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Kevin Ouellet Account Info
(Web Page)

Too late, TI, even people who have no use for these keys (BASIC programmers like me) alerady have them saved somewhere on their PC and I wouldn't be surprised if they were alerady on p2p sites.

Reply to this comment    21 September 2009, 19:13 GMT


Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
James Lennon  Account Info

Yup, they are: http://thepiratebay.org / torrent/5096920

Reply to this comment    22 September 2009, 17:38 GMT

Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Lewk Account Info
(Web Page)

Trying to stop the spread of these now is an exersize in futility.

http://www.cs.drexel.edu/ ~jlg95/stuff/keys.zip [remove the space, or click my link]

Reply to this comment    21 September 2009, 23:28 GMT


Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
elfprince13 Account Info
(Web Page)

Also....they're on Wikileaks. And a few mailing lists.

Reply to this comment    22 September 2009, 01:57 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Brandon Wilson  Account Info
(Web Page)

No, they're NOT on Wikileaks, only 2 or 3 are, not all 14.

Reply to this comment    22 September 2009, 16:00 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Travis Evans  Account Info

Actually, someone did post the rest of the keys on the "discussion" page on the Wikileaks page.

Reply to this comment    22 September 2009, 17:06 GMT

Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
benryves  Account Info
(Web Page)

El Reg has posted an article on this story - see website link or http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/23/ texas_instruments_calculator_hacking/

Reply to this comment    23 September 2009, 12:46 GMT

Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Kevin Kofler Account Info
(Web Page)

Working link to the article: http://urlx.eu/_Mzk5OQ

Reply to this comment    23 September 2009, 20:19 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
benryves  Account Info
(Web Page)

Foiled again! Thanks for the fixed link. :-)

Reply to this comment    23 September 2009, 20:47 GMT


Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
James Lennon  Account Info

So does this mean that TI is just being an A hole and is JUST now figuring out that the calculator community can do this stuff? I myself have written numerous programs (for personal use) that solve problems automatically in my math class (I understood the method before I wrote the program) and have always wondered why those were allowed, but not potentially our own better firmware that we can update that has new things built in or we can extend to have built in.

Reply to this comment    23 September 2009, 22:43 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
_DigiTan  Account Info
(Web Page)

I doubt any of this is a surprise to that department. TI actually used to outsource a few projects to the original Detatched Solutions crew around 2001.

What conserns me mostly is the sudden switch from 3rd-party friendly calcs...to totally locked-down models engineered to repel the community. You could make the case that this is all to satisfy the standardized testing comissions. It's unfortunante, but clearly one of the realities they deal with. Still, it's all speculation because there's a lot of inside information we don't have from TI. It would please the curiosity of many calc fans to hear thier unofficial take on the issue.

Reply to this comment    24 September 2009, 17:01 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
James Lennon  Account Info

I know what you mean. I just hope that TI doesn't become like Sony is with the PSP. Any system hand held, console, or anything with a link port of some sort (and some not), are vulnerable for the community of users to get cracked open and write their own software. As long as people aren't using the mods to run pirated software (who wants to run a pirated 84+ program...seriously), then there is no legal issue at all. I don't see TI complaining about the $5 link cable that we can make rather than pay $20-$30 for theirs, so why are they complaining that we can write our own software rather than be tortured with theirs that is never updated.

Reply to this comment    24 September 2009, 23:35 GMT

Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Brandon Wilson  Account Info
(Web Page)

The EFF has gotten involved and is probably going to help us fight these DMCA notices, so stay tuned.

Reply to this comment    23 September 2009, 23:18 GMT


Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
graphmastur Account Info

Do you have a link to this?

Reply to this comment    24 September 2009, 01:45 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Signing Keys and the DMCA
Astrid Smith Account Info
(Web Page)

No. Brandon is the primary source.

Reply to this comment    24 September 2009, 07:00 GMT

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