Johansen was just 15 when he co-authored and allegedly distributed a program called DeCSS. It compromises what is known as the Content Scramble System, or CSS, found in DVDs, designed to prevent unauthorised duplication of a DVD's content. He was prosecuted in response to pressure from Norway's entertainment industry and the Motion Picture Association of America.
Now 20, Johansen – known by some as 'DVD Jon' – was acquitted in January of violating a Norwegian data security law prohibiting the unauthorised compromising of computer security systems. Johansen's had always argued that the reason he wrote DeCSS was to enable him to view his own DVDs on his Linux-based computer.
In March, prosecutors were given leave to appeal (something that could not happen in the UK's legal system), and the case is due to begin in court next week. The maximum penalty for the offence is two years' imprisonment and a fine, although prosecutors had asked for a 90-day suspended sentence in the original trial.
Johansen has since moved on to other projects. This week he published on his blog a program, known as QTFairUse, that tackles the digital rights management (DRM) software on Apple's iTunes music service.
Normally a purchased download from the service is controlled, so that only a limited number of copies can be made. But Johansen's program catches the DRM code before it takes effect, and 'dumps' it into another file, effectively removing the copy protection.
According to Reuters, Johansen has now disputed claims that he has again been acting illegally, posting the comment on his blog which is entitled "So Sue Me". He says on it that critics fail "to understand that by buying into DRM they have given the seller complete control over the product after it's been sold." They are "clueless about copyright law", he adds.