A weakness in copy protection--the antipiracy mechanism at the heart of many a digital distribution system--has reared its head with Apple's brand-new Mac App Store.

The store, launched yesterday, includes digital rights management (DRM) technology designed to ensure that only a program's purchaser is authorized to run the program. But a hack distributed online apparently can be used to get around the system in some situations.

Although several have reported successful use of the hack to circumvent copy protection, it appears to stem from problems in how software developers get their applications to verify permission to run, not from an irreparable problem with the Mac App Store's DRM.

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20027731-264.html