Hollywood Sues Maker of DVD X Copy

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,108133,tk,dn121902X,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article...n121902X,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"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."<br /><br />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. :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+??

[Jason Dunn]

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

From now on all our polls will have a thrid, completely lame option for people who don't like the way we do polls, people who feel we missed an important option, and for people who always have to be "different". :lol:

[Janak Parekh]

I found this quote interesting:

Sedlock says it hopes the MPAA's legal action leads to a more open conversation between 321 Studios and the MPAA.
One thing I find annoying about all this is that the RIAA/MPAA are interested in filing lawsuits as appropriate, but when people actually contact them to avoid going afoul of the copyright/DMCA issues, they get the runaround. I've seen various people post on bulletin boards about their difficulty in starting up an indie-like Internet radio station, and wanting to find out what they can or cannot do from the RIAA.

In any case, I think 321 Studios was expecting this.

--janak

[JonnoB]

I believe that in many cases, people who copy material, do so unethically/illegally. But as bad are those who take copyright concerns so far as to restrict legal uses of such software. That is too big brother for me.

[TomB]

As a filmmaker, I think it is OK to try and protect your property from abuse. Let's face it, the 10 million trades a month on Napster last year had nothing to do with legal and ethical use of other people's work. On the other hand, I think studios are creating the problem by not releasing their content in formats people want to use. Hey, if you could buy or rent a PPC copy of your favorite film instead of having to spend a day ripping and transcoding it, most people would go for the easy and legal way out...

[karen]

On the other hand, I think studios are creating the problem by not releasing their content in formats people want to use. Hey, if you could buy or rent a PPC copy of your favorite film instead of having to spend a day ripping and transcoding it, most people would go for the easy and legal way out...

Not only that, but if the adjusted prices to reflect the fact that they have taken away my legal rights to fair use, I'd be happy to live with their draconian legislation. If DVDs cost only 5 bucks each, I wouldn't need to back them up (at least most of them). If my mega-buck enterprise software had a fast and easy way to replace defective media, I could live with it.

But try replacing a defective DVD move after 6 months or replacing $150,000 software disks and you'll see that they are asking too much.

The same goes for ebooks and other works.

They can't have their cake and eat it too and make me happy about it.

Karen

[Jonathon Watkins]

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

From now on all our polls will have a thrid, completely lame option for people who don't like the way we do polls, people who feel we missed an important option, and for people who always have to be "different". :lol:

Good idea. Takes the pressure off when people want to be silly.