Hacking common-key.bin legal issues

[CambridgeGuy]

I know that I'm not allowed to ask for the common-key.bin, but what I don't understand is: why is it illegal, and therefore, banned from these forums.

All it is is a decryption key. A *tiny* file with a few letters and numbers in it. Is that string of characters copyrighted? Can such a thing be copyrighted? I mean, remember when the HD-DVD decryption was broken -- the key appeared EVERYWHERE. It even became (sort of) popular to put it on a t-shirt.

So, if that is ok and legal, why is it not ok for someone to publicly share the decryption key for the wii?

PS: before I post this, I must point out that I'm not trying to be annoying and rebellious here. I'm merely trying to understand the legal situation. I do understand that gbatemp has this rule to for its own safety. I would just like to know a little about why it would be illegal to post this common key.

 

[Kekkon]

Maybe because it's an official file? As far as I'm aware you can copyright computer files, but not particular pieces of it, therefore if you knew the code you could make your own, which won't be official and break the copyright on your end, though you still couldn't upload it since it'd be exactly the same as the original... For a 16 byte file with a 15 symbol code it sure is confusing.... Hope someone does explain it better, cuz this is just speculation.

 

[SG]

What ablout editing the code like posting a dote or hyphen in the middle which you could just take out?

 

[phyl0x]

Its illegal under the US's DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) which makes circumventing any technology protection, regardless of how lame or simple it is to circumvent, illegal. I believe the EU has a similar law (EU Copyright Directive). But why this was made illegal, well corporations control the US government, so they basically write their own laws, I'd guess the EU isnt much different. So these simple keys, numbers, are illegal because they circumvent copyright protections.

 

[Jacobeian]

well, those keys have been generated using copyrighted and patented algorithms, that's probably why it is illegal to distribute them and why Nintendo had to pay (a lot) to use this technology

 

[phyl0x]

What ablout editing the code like posting a dote or hyphen in the middle which you could just take out?

People have done far more creative things than just removing a hyphen, it ends up in some legal grey area. the most famous is the DeCSS (which is the key to decrypt a standard dvd movie), it was released in haiku form. DeCSS Haiku

 

[skawo96]

What ablout editing the code like posting a dote or hyphen in the middle which you could just take out?

People have done far more creative things than just removing a hyphen, it ends up in some legal grey area. the most famous is the DeCSS (which is the key to decrypt a standard dvd movie), it was released in haiku form. DeCSS Haiku

Fuck, and now write these numbers down there.

 

[linkinworm]

Maybe because it's an official file? As far as I'm aware you can copyright computer files, but not particular pieces of it, therefore if you knew the code you could make your own, which won't be official and break the copyright on your end, though you still couldn't upload it since it'd be exactly the same as the original... For a 16 byte file with a 15 symbol code it sure is confusing.... Hope someone does explain it better, cuz this is just speculation.

umm its 16 symbols how u think its 16bytes long? and its illegal to have because its a key that everywii uses to encrypt stuff therefor its not a random key its part of the patent
if you want it here it is EBE42A225E8593E4, joke but that is half correct you will never figure out the other half muhhah, im evil, o noo the lil kids wanting something they think will make them haxers.

 

[Maikel Steneker]

Maybe because it's an official file? As far as I'm aware you can copyright computer files, but not particular pieces of it, therefore if you knew the code you could make your own, which won't be official and break the copyright on your end, though you still couldn't upload it since it'd be exactly the same as the original... For a 16 byte file with a 15 symbol code it sure is confusing.... Hope someone does explain it better, cuz this is just speculation.

umm its 16 symbols how u think its 16bytes long? and its illegal to have because its a key that everywii uses to encrypt stuff therefor its not a random key its part of the patent
if you want it here it is EBE42A225E8593E4, joke but that is half correct you will never figure out the other half muhhah, im evil, o noo the lil kids wanting something they think will make them haxers.

Somebody should write another Haiku

 

[Kekkon]

Maybe because it's an official file? As far as I'm aware you can copyright computer files, but not particular pieces of it, therefore if you knew the code you could make your own, which won't be official and break the copyright on your end, though you still couldn't upload it since it'd be exactly the same as the original... For a 16 byte file with a 15 symbol code it sure is confusing.... Hope someone does explain it better, cuz this is just speculation.

umm its 16 symbols how u think its 16bytes long? and its illegal to have because its a key that everywii uses to encrypt stuff therefor its not a random key its part of the patent
if you want it here it is EBE42A225E8593E4, joke but that is half correct you will never figure out the other halfmuhhah, im evil, o noo the lil kids wanting something they think will make them haxers.

48D9C5457381AAF7, you were saying? heh technically anyone can make it now, since I only posted half it's not illegal.

 

[linkinworm]

Maybe because it's an official file? As far as I'm aware you can copyright computer files, but not particular pieces of it, therefore if you knew the code you could make your own, which won't be official and break the copyright on your end, though you still couldn't upload it since it'd be exactly the same as the original... For a 16 byte file with a 15 symbol code it sure is confusing.... Hope someone does explain it better, cuz this is just speculation.

umm its 16 symbols how u think its 16bytes long? and its illegal to have because its a key that everywii uses to encrypt stuff therefor its not a random key its part of the patent
if you want it here it is EBE42A225E8593E4, joke but that is half correct you will never figure out the other halfmuhhah, im evil, o noo the lil kids wanting something they think will make them haxers.

48D9C5457381AAF7, you were saying? heh technically anyone can make it now, since I only posted half it's not illegal.

HI 5! team work.

 

[mattlouf]

 

[xJonny]

Maybe because it's an official file? As far as I'm aware you can copyright computer files, but not particular pieces of it, therefore if you knew the code you could make your own, which won't be official and break the copyright on your end, though you still couldn't upload it since it'd be exactly the same as the original... For a 16 byte file with a 15 symbol code it sure is confusing.... Hope someone does explain it better, cuz this is just speculation.

umm its 16 symbols how u think its 16bytes long? and its illegal to have because its a key that everywii uses to encrypt stuff therefor its not a random key its part of the patent
if you want it here it is EBE42A225E8593E4, joke but that is half correct you will never figure out the other halfmuhhah, im evil, o noo the lil kids wanting something they think will make them haxers.

48D9C5457381AAF7, you were saying? heh technically anyone can make it now, since I only posted half it's not illegal.

What makes you so sure?

 

[Kekkon]

@mattlouf: heh text form looks so weird, and since you removed the space I don't think it counts

@xJonny: I'm not

 

[linkinworm]

yea the key has to be signed i think anyway, you cant just add 2things together and make it work

 

[skawo96]

BAN THEM




Just joking.

 

[Kekkon]

yea the key has to be signed i think anyway, you cant just add 2things together and make it work

Hmm... *tests*
Autoinjectuwad works with my fake

 

[bubbleboy]

What about an algorithm that generates the key? What about a program that creates an algorithm that generates the key?

Or what if someone made a gif with numbers and letters all over the place.. which anyone could download freely. And then in a forum, people say 'take the top left red letter, then three spaces to the right in blue is the next number, then the green one underneath is the next one' and so on. Which part of that would be the illegal part?

I have the key, just speculating.

 

[Kekkon]

Well since my fake one (just put the text in notepad and saved as a bin) works, I don't see why you have to go through that much trouble

 

[Dack]

It's actually been available on this site for a very long time

Have a look at the thread on how to get Trucha signer working on a mac.........
(especially the registry entries that are there)