[Jason Dunn]

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article...n121902X,00.asp

"The Motion Picture Association of America is countersuing Missouri software firm 321 Studios, alleging that the company's DVD-copying software violates anti-copying laws. The movie industry trade group seeks to prohibit the sale of 321 Studios' software titles DVD X Copy and DVD Copy Plus. It also wants any profits from sales as recovery of damages. 321 Studios says it has sold a total of 150,000 copies of the two software titles. 321 Studios insists that its software does not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which outlaws providing information or tools to circumvent copy-control technology, such as the Contents Scramble System used on DVD media."

This issue fascinates me - the technology industry is all about enabling people to do things, and the entertainment industry is (of late) all about preventing people from doing things. 321 Studios certainly has their work cut out for them - the MPAA has a big stick...

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article...n121902X,00.asp

"The Motion Picture Association of America is countersuing Missouri software firm 321 Studios, alleging that the company's DVD-copying software violates anti-copying laws. The movie industry trade group seeks to prohibit the sale of 321 Studios' software titles DVD X Copy and DVD Copy Plus. It also wants any profits from sales as recovery of damages. 321 Studios says it has sold a total of 150,000 copies of the two software titles. 321 Studios insists that its software does not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which outlaws providing information or tools to circumvent copy-control technology, such as the Contents Scramble System used on DVD media."

This issue fascinates me - the technology industry is all about enabling people to do things, and the entertainment industry is (of late) all about preventing people from doing things. 321 Studios certainly has their work cut out for them - the MPAA has a big stick...

[bjornkeizers]

So far, 10 votes. 1 for the MPAA, 9 for the consumer and everyone likes your haircut so far Mr. D.

Obviously, if you're a consumer [you are] you cannot vote for the MPAA; simple as that. Consumers should have certain rights. Backing up your DVD's should be one of them.

[Rirath]

Lol, thanks for the 3rd option, was a nice laugh. :lol: (Not that I used it!)

[Anthony Caruana]

I recall that some years ago the cinema industry was crying that the video business was going to shut them down. Instead the opposite happened. Their response was to deliver a better product rather than shut down the companies that make vcrs. When will the MPAA realise that if they try to bury every company that creates ways to copy dvd, that they will only alienate customers.

The entire digital rights management debate is still in its infancy. Consumers (at least many of the ones I know) expect that buying a CD or dvd entitles them access to that data through any device they own. The AMAA needs to work out what its customers want and then deliver it. At the moment it feels like (at least to me) that we are treated as thieves.

Here end the mad ravings of a simple consumer. .. .

[welmoed]

The movie studios seem to think they are the only people on the planet who release stuff in DVD format. I have software on DVD that I sure would want to be able to back up, if I had a DVD burner.

Let's hope this issue dies as quickly as DIVX.

--Welmoed

[krisbrown]

The whole thing revovles around the fact that the ordinary Joe in the street see's Hollywood blowing ludicrous sums of money on Stars and over the top lifestyles, they care not for their copyrights and will see pinching movies as robbing the rich to feed the poor.

The salad days for Hollywood and record produders are fast declining, they've been taking the p1ss for years.

No one on this planet is worth $20 million for a single film.

One of the best movies for years is full of unknowns and British actors who are very obscure to Americans, LOTR, bet you they didn't get $20 million each.

[Unreal32]

I may just have to buy a copy of that software... I figure if it's worth suing someone over, it's worth buying! :lol:

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

We sure don't shy away from controversial topics, do we? The Northern American continent is just starting to wake up and I expect that this thread will likely be a pretty hot one by mid-day.

Funny... how so incredibly similar the complaints of the RIAA and the MPAA sound in their fights to limit our digital capabilities.

[don dre]

Nice reference to Divx (whoever thought that was a good idea obviously never met a real customer). I think I might buy it as well, hopefully you can back up your copy of DVD X as well. Hollywood has been making unseemly profits from us for years mainly because we have nowhere else to go for such entertainment. They contorl production and distribution. Worse still, of all the money involved in making movies, studios are notoriously poor companies to own (menaing, owning stock.) this is because they don;t just screw consumers but shareholders as well. The money all gets spent on extravagant lifestyles for actors and executives.

[st63z]

Cool reading about Elcomsoft (and Sklyarov) acquital Tuesday: http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,108040,00.asp

This case is very interesting too (incorporating DeCSS as I understand, it's gotta be way at the forefront there).

Separately, I hear EFF and the other groups are still looking for a solid defendant/case to support who will vigorously challenge head on the constitutionality of the DMCA itself...

P.S. Anyone know why the new DVD X Copy v1.3 is like 3MB while the previous v1.2x had been 25MB+??