AfterDawn: News

Johansen vs Norway/MPAA round 2 in December

Norwegian economics crime division said today that an appeals court has approved to handle the prosection's appeal in case against norwegian teenager, Jon Johansen.

The trial, dubbed as "the DeCSS case", will start in December. Johansen won his case early this year in lower court, leaving movie industry healing its wounds and preparing for the next attack.



Johansen is being accused of developing a software called DeCSS that allows users to crack the weak copy-protection mechanism called CSS found on most commercial DVD-Video discs. By cracking the encryption, users that don't have access to officially licensed DVD players (like Linux users) can watch DVD movies with their computers. As a side effect, the software also allows copying the DVD-Video disc to computers harddrive and distributing it over the Internet.

The most ridiculous thing in the whole process is the fact that Norway doesn't have any laws that would outlaw such activity and therefor Johansen is basically sued under laws that are meant for crackers who break into banks' computers and steal money. So, Johansen is being sued for breaking into his own, purchased DVDs.

Source: ABCNews.com

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 1 Apr 2003 12:53

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• 4 comments

• Jarpo

  
  Blah. Norway is part of the Nato. No wonder why MPAA/RIAA can control that country..

  2.4.2003 02:48 #1

• mystic

  again, round 2 and they'll get slapped for it if the lower court ruling holds... really the recording industry needs to chill. if the recourding industry will replce any damaged cd or dvd we wouldn't need to back up our stuff... I have a 12 year old who treats cds as frizbies the way he handles them... and at $40 + for playstation games and $19.95 a dvd or $15.95 a cd they need to be protected so I back them up... and whats wrong with that. I feel that if you go to blockbuster and rent on to copy yeah they have a point . But, if all you are doing is backing up what you bought... then they are dead wrong... how about we hold them acountable for bad movies or cd's with one good song and 9 crappy ones... (thats really why people mix their own) when they could add 8 more to the cd in the first place or at least a video. The recording industry has been allowed to much leway for to long and why dont they put out movies on other formats , just because they like to give money to bill gates why should I . Johansen had a linux box and wanted to convert the file to work for him hey the fact that he at 15 could do that says they didnt do a good job in the first place... @40 I couldnt write the code to do what he did so instead of praising the kid they want to crosify him instead. maybe they need to go after the one who sold them the CSS in the first place.... and get a refund.....and then bugger off

  2.4.2003 04:24 #2

• Ghostdog

  Jon Johansen is beng sued because of something legal he "commited".
  
  Am I the only one that thinks that our governments should protect us, help us and uphold a fair administartive system - not falsely acuse us because an american organization says that the accused is breaking american laws?

  2.4.2003 05:55 #3

• Krush019

  Look at all the American hate you spew, when "America" really has nothing to do with it. If the largest and most powerful entertainment companies were located in another country, do you actually think they wouldn't bring cases like this? Copyright cases are filed ALL over the world by companies located ALL over the world.
  
  I don't blame the MPAA (Hollywood) for taking this route. I don't think they actually expected to win this case. The loss will be used by the MPAA as ammunition in future attempts to lobby for change in copyright laws. It's big business, that means making as many dollars as possible while giving the consumer as little as there willing to accept for each of those dollars. The sad thing is, if this case were actually happening in America the MPAA wouldn't have a chance of winning. They may not have even been able to get any charges filed. In the end I hope and think Jon will be acquitted.
  
  Oh, and if the MPAA can make the Norwegian economics crime division bring a meritless case against a teenager, is the problem there really with the MPAA? Hmmm.........

  2.4.2003 07:39 #4