News Judge: DVD-copying software is illegal

From news.com:

After eight months of deliberation, a San Francisco federal judge has ruled that software company 321 Studios' popular DVD-copying products are illegal.

In a ruling released Friday, Judge Susan Illston granted Hollywood studios' request for an injunction against 321 Studios, saying the small software company has seven days to stop distributing its DVD-copying products.

The case was widely viewed as a test of how far commercial software could go in helping consumers make backup copies of their own legally purchased digital entertainment products, such as DVDs or video games. Illston wrote that federal law made it illegal to sell products that--like 321 Studios' software--break through DVDs' antipiracy technology, even if consumers do have a legal right to make personal copies of their movies.

"It is the technology itself at issue, not the uses to which the copyrighted material may be put," Illston wrote. "Legal downstream use of the copyrighted material by customers is not a defense to the software manufacturer's violation of the provisions (of copyright law)."

Rest of article is here...

Nice. Strike a blow against fair use! Glad I not only have my copy, but mostly use dvd shrink

 

The actual making of backups is legal, but breaking CSS is not.

Duh, howd you work that one out Mr. Judge u frikkin idiot. Maybe youd like to suggest a way people can legally backup their DVDs without breaking CSS then???

Moron.

 

You know, in the UK you can't even 'backup' you CD's onto tape to play in your car!


Not that the police would do anything about something that small - just don't tell the RIAA, I can't afford the £15,000 per track fine for the tapes I have in my glove compartment!!!

 

That's such a tenuous judgment - it is analogous to saying that making VCRs is illegal because they can be used to make pirate video tapes. It's insane to censor the technology and blame the tool, rather than seeking to punish those who abuse the technology or tool, by which I mean commercial media pirates.

Furthermore, how many dozens of freeware CSS cracking programs are available on the internet? Does the judge really think he'll achieve anything by his ruling?

 

It's my belief that in the UK using VHS for any other reason than "time shifting" is illegal - so you can't watch a show whilst being recorded and only watch it once after, then burning it or something! There's no need for the time shift fair use on DVDs, as you're suppost to have the copy for awhile. And I think other than recording from TV you get MacroVision problems on videos due to law to stop copying of films.

But yeah - I think the US and all are thinking of making the different laws for analog and digital recordings, as digital always copys perfectly... (well, usually!).

There are other legitimate reasons to copy DVDs though - like education or reporting the news - and without DeCSS or anything, it's not possible.



It's just well hard for law - stopping pirates on the internet is almost impossible on a peer-to-peer system, so they try to find other ways (which tend to suck!). The only people that lobby for changes are people like the RIAA, so there's always pressure in one direction to stop things. The goverment introduce things like the DMCA and then judges get the flack 'cos they have to apply it. Infact, a BIG American law professor, J Litman, described the US law as a tool for 'keeping people from other countres from stealing our stuff while enabling us to steal (excuse me: I meant 'make use of') their stuff' - Digital Copyright and Information Policy


(sorry about the rant, I'm writing a paper on this now... it's close to my heart. I'm putting forward the real view on all this from forums like this and not just telling this like an advisor paid for by the RIAA !!)

 

After that rant I think I need to chill alittle - but anyway, just found this...

http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=banonpostingofdv1078231486&area=news

It's been overturned

 

easy, freeware, dvd-copying/decoding applications can be found here

 

True, but that's not the point. The point is that they are making criminals out of otherwise law-abiding people.

 

Just because the software is "free" or "freeware" doesn't mean it's legal.

Every piece of software that decodes CSS without being licensed (ie, actual decrypters and not players as they obviously have to decrypt CSS to be able to read the disc) is illegal.

It's only a matter of time before we start seeing our favourite DVD copying software being withdrawn before the MPAA sets their eyes on the author.

I'll be keeping a copy of DVD Decrypter on my hard drive safe from the evil MPAA and the other international bodies.

 

The absolute first thing I so with any new audio cd, dvd or software I obtain is to make a backup copy and store the original away and I will always do that. I'm not pirating movies, music or software, nor will I - I'm only making backup copies. Now that some mis-informed judge has stated that software is illegal, he's essentially branding me a pirate because I want to make fair-use backups of my media.

 

At least you've got the right to make a "fair-use backup".

Unless the publisher gives us specific allowances to do so, making a backup for our OWN use here is illegal.

But when's copyright law ever stopped me doing whatever I want with something I've PAID my hard-earned cash on?

/me sings "It's my DVD and I'll rip it if I want to..."

 

No, its not, in the UK you dont own your copy of the moive, you own the media and a lisence to play it.

 

Meh, I'll still do whatever the hell I choose with it. I paid for the damn thing.

 

Aye, it's true - in the UK we can't even make our own backups...

well.. except we can make 1 backup copy of computer software... but get this... in the UK, installing software on your computer is seen as making a backup... so it's actually all lies!!

But yeah, I don't think they're trying to stop the normal person copying what they own for themselves, just stop the pirates that might be using that software - just we get kicked in the a** at the same time and generally no-one cares.