AfterDawn: News

ESS DVD Copying chips lawsuit settled

Major Hollywood studios have settled a lawsuit against ESS Technology, a chipmaker that they accused of allowing its products to be used illegally in DVD copying devices. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) claims that ESS violated a contract by selling DVD Decoding chips to manufacturers that had not acquired a license to the studio's anti-piracy technology. Last July, a California state judge blocked the sale of ESS chips to other unlicensed manufacturers.

"ESS totally supports the enforcement of all parties' valid intellectual property rights and is committed to being a leader in enabling content protection features," ESS CEO Robert Blair said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the motion picture industry in their worldwide enforcement efforts and in the development of next-generation anti-piracy technology." This lawsuit was part of an on-going Hollywood campaign against hardware manufacturers.



The studios claim to be targeting manufacturers of devices that assist with piracy. One controversial lawsuit in this campaign is against Kaleidescape. The company sells products that allow users to transfer as many as 500 DVD movies to a central server, and then browse and play the movies anywhere in a house. Kaleidescape executives say that they have acquired a license from the DVD Copy Control Association but DVD-CCA said its technology is meant to prevent copying of DVDs, and filed suit against Kaleidescape in December.

Source:
News.com

Written by: James Delahunty @ 14 Apr 2005 14:25

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• 12 comments

• ceja_11

  What happen to" You have the right to back up your own software/dvd's?

  14.4.2005 14:55 #1

• Xinio

  Dont you know that that dissappered after Napster and the Patriot Act

  14.4.2005 16:36 #2

• neewbie

  It sure did. Soon they will ban u from lending your movie to a friend to watch.

  14.4.2005 21:18 #3

• Cman

  Judging by the results of the last several elections, no one should be bitching about this. You asked for it, you got it. Now live with it.
  
  Big money owns the government and the courts. They own your Representatives, your Senators, your Mayors. The fact that many of your "rights" are now being whittled away shouldn't come as a surprise.
  
  Stop whining about it!
  

  MSI K7N2G-L AMD2500XP OC'd to 2.2Ghz
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  Plextor 716A DL Burner

  15.4.2005 03:22 #4

• BIGTOXY69

  Hello
  Ceja_11,Xinio& Cman- here goes your right to back up software/dvd's that you own - what was called ( Fair use ) back when Hollywood was going after the VCR bacause you could copy movies with it and they would lose billions! does and does not exist when it comes to digital media or at least dvd's Under the DMCA -digitial millenium copyrights act! You have the right to back up dvd's thatyou own but if you Decrypt the dvd and almost every DVD is encrypted! you are breaking the law!Catch 22. It's like telling you, you can eat as many eggs as you want as long as you don't crack or pierce the shell or swallow them whole! In parting I am reminded of the words of our founding fathers -THOSE WHO TRADE THEIR FREEDOMS FOR SECURITY WILL HAVE NEITHER! PEACE &HAPPY BURNING!

  15.4.2005 03:49 #5

• mystic

  the origonal conflict with this still stems from whos running the show big biz has its hands in GB's pants and he has an unethical intrest in keeping them right where they are. he has less then 3 years left and he will do some of the damest things before he leaves office .... so kiss all your freedoms good bye and get ready for the next thing call illegal house to house searches... why not they are doing it on our roadways every day and no-one even notices .once in your house under the guies of homeland security they will search through all your software to see what ya got and if you paid for it ... then they will call it a raid on a pirate ring and put you on the news for all to see... just wait they keep telling us the know who we are............I say bugger off and spin ya pisser...........screw GB and his patriot act... boy were we snowed to pass that law.....

  15.4.2005 05:10 #6

• mystic

  the origonal conflict with this still stems from whos running the show big biz has its hands in GB's pants and he has an unethical intrest in keeping them right where they are. he has less then 3 years left and he will do some of the damest things before he leaves office .... so kiss all your freedoms good bye and get ready for the next thing call illegal house to house searches... why not they are doing it on our roadways every day and no-one even notices .once in your house under the guies of homeland security they will search through all your software to see what ya got and if you paid for it ... then they will call it a raid on a pirate ring and put you on the news for all to see... just wait they keep telling us they know who we are............I say bugger off and spin ya pisser...........screw GB and his patriot act... boy were we snowed to pass that law.....

  15.4.2005 05:11 #7

• BIGTOXY69

  who dares wins ! and 1* think about it !

  15.4.2005 05:46 #8

• kapkirk

  OK, you folks have lost your mind. I hate when people blame Bush for s#!^ he didn't have 1 F'n thing to do with. Understand: I DON'T AGREE W/BUSH ON MUCH WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORKING CLASS, I AM NOT A BUSHYITE. I hate uninformed, incorrect logic, statements,falacies, etc. Pull your head out and pay attention to the FACTS.
  When was this bill passed?? Anyone?1998.
  When did George Bush enter office? Anyone? 2000.
  How did George Bush have anything to do with a bill that was passed when he wasn't even in office? "See Clinton gets a hummer under the oval office desk', p.1, New Dork Times.
  How did the bill pass? See this: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=2&vote=00137
  As you can see from the vote, it passed UNANIMOUSLY with Dems and Reps putting the screws to fair-use. It's not Bush, its the companies that own our Congressional representatives. Put the blame where the blame belongs and don't talk out of your wazoo and buy into the media hype. They have your brain and you didn't even know it. Unless of course you went to public schools, then I would cut you ALOT of slack, considering that state of affairs. We haven't gotten what we deserve until we get rid of self-serving politicans who are out of touch. I will agree with cman, QUIT WHINING, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! And thank GOD Kerry didn't get in, otherwise we would have sticks, rocks, and muskets (if we were lucky) as our final line of defense. That's my 2 cents, OUT...

  22.4.2005 09:00 #9

• kapkirk

  Almost forgot, because obviously a few people are confused.
  The law that has caused us all this grief is the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. NOT the Patriot Act. I don't know of 1 citizen of this country that has had a run-in with the law because of the Patriot act. The Patriot Act was designed to protect against terrorism, not intellectual property. See H.R. 2281, WIPO Copyright Treaty Implementation Act.

  22.4.2005 09:15 #10

• mystic

  KapKirk your right about when then the law was passed buuuuut under the patriot act the pres and his border guards are blocking our highways and searching cars of id carring americans and thats the reffrance I was making about them using the act to do illegale search and seacure of any property they see fit and yesclinton wa other wise ocupide with monicka and the oral house. but as things here got messy gb gave cartblanch to the homeland security and that crated a monster . so now they can come intoyour house and search and call it up under the patriot act so if you live in Maine beware its going on all the time check our news papers and see how many people they have busted....

  22.4.2005 11:55 #11

• kapkirk

  Sorry I lost it a bit there, too much coffee and reading about child killers, digital rights, and Michael Jackson, oh wait I was repeating myself. LOL I did not get anything in the previous threads on civil rights, the discussion was digital rights. On the topic of civil rights, are they 'busting' them doing something they are not supposed to be doing? Transporting drugs, illegal copies of music/software? To me, if they are 'busting' people, that means it's working. If they are getting the right people for doing things that are bad for our society or country, so be it.
  We had the same issues under Kliton. Remember Texas, Waco? Remember illegal search and seizures, killings at Ruby Ridge? Advisors to Kliton waking up dead?Ellian(sp?) Gonzales? LA riots? No one got too upset about those things because they were all 'crackpots' and 'victims' or what ever else the media decided to paint it as. Janet Reno wiped her @$$ all over the Constitution. What was the line? Jello Biafras quote, "When was the last time you tried to read the Bill of Rights to a cop??". It's been like this for years, even before you were born likely.
  Is it possible someone may be trying to sneak into Maine with a nuke/bio/explosives?? After all, the world thinks all were doing is watching the Mexican Marathon down there? We are in the midst of a covert WW 4. No one can go toe-to-toe with us, so they are going to sneak attack us as soon as they get a chance. They will not be happy until we have at least one smoking city on every border. The Patriot Act will go away when all the terrorists are dead, and that will be...hmmmmmm. It's all a big mind game, try to stay out of trouble and enjoy the trip. Best Regards :)

  22.4.2005 12:30 #12