Microsoft is scrambling to update its Windows Media software after a hacker released a programme that circumvents a safeguard designed to prevent people from freely copying digital movies and songs.

The effort began weeks ago, after a hacker released the programme dubbed FairUse4WM that strips digital rights protection from Windows Media-encoded files distributed by companies like Movielink and Amazon.com, which launched a video download service last week.

British satellite broadcaster BSky, which relies on Media Player to distribute content, temporarily suspended its digital film download service on August 31, citing Microsoft’s efforts to update software protecting against unauthorised copying of files.

Microsoft released its first fix on August 28. The hacker quickly released another version of the programme, promoting it on internet message boards as a way to allow “fair use” of purchased digital media files.

Marcus Matthias, a senior product manager in the Microsoft division that includes Windows, said the company is “actively working on an update” and keeping digital content providers informed about its progress.

Mr Matthias had no estimate of how long it would take Microsoft to come up with its next update.

The “digital rights management” tool in Windows Media software is designed to prevent web users from freely copying movies, songs or other digital files, but analysts say there is virtually no way to make it fully hack-proof.

“Any protection that’s just software can always be broken by other software. Some attacker was bound to be able to do something like this,” said Joe Pescatore, vice president of internet security at the market research firm Gartner.

Amazon.com spokesman Sean Sundwall said the internet retailer knows about the problem, but hasn’t experienced any related troubles with its new Unbox service, which lets people watch TV shows or movies on Windows Media-compatible portable devices.

Marc Maiffret, co-founder and chief hacking officer at eEye Digital Security, said he doubts this will be the last time Microsoft has to contend with this type of problem.

“I think it’s one of those things where they have to show they’re trying to do something about it,” Mr Maiffret said. ”Hopefully, they’re not so dumb that they think they can put a dent in music piracy.”

Meanwhile, the European Union’s antitrust commission plans to investigate complaints regarding Microsoft Office, said EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

Kroes, speaking yesterday at the Fordham Annual Conference on International Antitrust Law & Policy in New York, did not elaborate on the investigation.

Microsoft has said its Office 2007 software will not include a way to save data in the popular Portable Document Format. Microsoft claimed it dropped plans to include the format after Adobe asked it to charge customers for the ability to save Office documents in either the popular Portable Document Format or Microsoft’s new, competing XPS format.

The EU has a long-running antitrust action against Microsoft, which dates to a 2004 EU antitrust ruling.

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