AfterDawn: News

DVD CCA sued 321 Studios

DVD Copy Control Association has sued 321 Studios, the company behind DVD X Copy products that allow backing up DVD movies, over alleged patent infringements.

The lawsuit is fourth one that has been filed against 321 Studios in the United States -- company has been sued in New York and in California by group of movie studios and just recently, by Macrovision.



DVD CCA is the organization that owns the patents for copy protection mechanism called CSS, which is used on virtually all commercial DVD-Video discs.

"In taking this legal action, DVD CCA is turning its focus toward those who produce and broadly distribute products in the marketplace that facilitate the widespread infringement of the copyrights on motion pictures that CSS was designed to protect," DVD CCA's attorney Steven Reiss said in a statement. "DVD CCA believes that halting the mass marketing of these illegal products is the most important and effective step toward protecting its property from theft and misuse in a changing marketplace."

321 Studios recently expanded their product line to include game backup software, Games X Copy. Company hasn't responded to the latest lawsuit yet, but issued a separate press release today, responding to Macrovision's lawsuit and claiming it to be completely baseless.

DVD CCA has also a long history of litigation with CSS code -- and it has managed to either lose or drop most of its lawsuits over the years.

More information:

News.com
321 Studios' response to Macrovision's lawsuit

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 13 Feb 2004 16:02

• Previous article

• P2P war expands to Canada

• Next article

• Trade agreement affects Australian copyright laws (updated)

• 2 comments

• vudoo

  And we the consummer have the God given right to back up our own personal DVD's,CD's and whatever else is either destructable or can be lost. And they keep fighting a unworthey cause because they will never stop the wide spread copying of Movies and Music over the net. Even if DVD Xcopy is suddenly illegal in the states someone somwhere else in a country such as Palistine or where ever there is no copyright laws. So best solution is Ad-Supportive p2p or when you copy a CD, DVD you get ads and the ads support the artists and that is fair play.
  
  Voodoohippie

  14.2.2004 19:09 #1

• Nephilim

  CSS was weak to begin with. This is like a fence company suing someone for jumping over their three foot high fence.
  
  I agree with vudoo that we have an absolute right to protect our investment. Optical media is easily destroyed and the media industry feels it has a God given right to make us pay full price to replace damaged media. They can shove it. I pay hard-earned money for my media and am damn sure going to protect it.
  
  It is a ridiculous endeavor to shut down 321. Chopping heads off the Hydra if you ask me. Freeware ripping apps can't be stopped like a company. They're going to bleed themselves dry dumping all this money into lawsuits that won't stop copying not to mention the lame music and movies they keep pumping out. Instead of investing in new and exciting talent they rely on formulas. The movies tend to rely on tons of CGI along with as many big explosions they can fit in the film - screw finding a stimulating plot. Music has a core of songwriters to write formulatic crap for the current bimbo shaking her tits and ass on stage.
  
  Thank God for indie music and movies.

  15.2.2004 13:34 #2