After 7 years, SlySoft ending lifetime update subscriptions

SlySoft, maker of the popular decryption software AnyDVD HD, and Game Jackal announced on Monday that it will be discontinuing its lifetime update subscription service on January 1, 2011.

Since 2003, SlySoft has developed circumvention techniques for the various methods of disc copy protection and incorporated them into its software packages. In 2007, for example, the company announced it had cracked BD+ Blu-ray copy protection which was developed by Cryptography Research Inc. The following year, the company announced it had cracked BD+ again, allowing its software to have a more complete Blu-ray copying solution.

"We are committed to Fair Use and, therefore, want to maintain our high standards, frequent updates, a well-trained and dedicated customer support and to enable everybody to create backups of their media," Peer van Heuen, head of High-Definition technologies at SlySoft said in a statement Monday. "Technological change has happened extremely fast in recent years. This has led to significantly higher development costs, which must be taken into account."

SlySoft says the move to discontinue lifetime licenses is being taken to avoid having to increase the cost of its software.

All existing "lifetime" licenses, and any purchased until the first of the year will continue to be honored, but after that, no new lifetime update and support subscriptions will be offered.