AfterDawn: News

Judge blocks sale of RealDVD

A federal Judge has stung RealNetworks badly by issuing a preliminary injunction preventing the company from selling its RealDVD software, which costs $30 a pop. Additionally, the company's prototype DVD player, Facet, will now also be blocked from sale. RealDVD allowed consumers to make copies of their DVDs onto their computers, while Facet is a HDD-equipped DVD player. The company has maintained that the software is entirely legal.

This case became important because it can answer the question of whether consumers in the U.S. are allowed to make copies of their DVD movies. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) regards Facet and RealDVD as tools of piracy that could cost the industry a lot of money, and claimed they were illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Real argued that because it has licensed Content Scrambling System (CSS) from the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD-CCA), that its software and prototype DVD player do not break provisions surrounding the circumvention of copy protection, disregarding ARccOS and RipGuard.



"RealDVD makes a permanent copy of copyrighted DVD content," U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Patel wrote in her decision, "and by doing so breaches its License Agreement with the DVD Copy Control Association ... and circumvents a technological measure that effectively controls access to or copying of the Studios' copyrighted content on DVDs." Real, of course, said it was very disappointed with the Judge's decision. The MPAA on the other hand called it a victory for the creators and producers of movies and TV shows.

Whether or not Real will continue this fight remains to be seen, as the company has spent over $6 million defending its RealDVD software already.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 12 Aug 2009 19:28

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• 8 comments

• 5fdpfan

  I think the studios would be wise in giving Realnetworks the benefit of the doubt with regard to their DVD copying software program. I mean what do they think they're accomplishing by doing this? People have and will continue to backup their movies whether Warner, Universal, Fox and others want them to or not so why not at least offer a legal way for people to do it.

  12.8.2009 19:48 #1

• varnull

  I guess we will have to carry on using our totally unrestricted freeware rippers or getting our movies from the usual sources then eh?
  
  Greed knows no bounds.. so stuff these fat studios and their boring films.

  12.8.2009 20:04 #2

• nonoitall

  It's okay. If the MPAA doesn't want us to have a legal way to rip DVDs, we can just do it the 'other' way. May as well download whatever we want in the process too, since the MPAA will brand us as pirates whether our DVD rips come from legally acquires sources or not.
  
  That's what I gather from this anyway.

  12.8.2009 20:34 #3

• 5fdpfan

  You read from it exactly right nonoitall. The studios had best try and work with us rather then against us. We now more than ever, control how and from where we choose to obtain and use tv shows and films. And even if Real were allowed to sell their product, that doesn't gaurantee whatsoever, that illegal copying won't continue cause I can assure them that it will. But better to offer a legally recognized alternatvie for us to pick from then nothing. I'm sure many are either not savy enough or too afraid to have ever thought to seek out and use the programs we use to copy our discs, and would give Real's program a try if it were available. Well anyway, I won't loose any sleep over this. The studios can continue living in their fantasy land if they want.

  12.8.2009 20:59 #4

• LM2008

  Stupid MPAA, DMCA and all that idiots keep wasting money in making ways hard to people who want to do legal backups. But they don't care!!. Honestly, do they have account people that can tell them "hey, we are losing more money here between going to courts and research and making of new protections that at the end , fails.

  13.8.2009 07:48 #5

• domie

  dvds ? I think I remember them ! Weren't they popular about 8 or 9 years ago ?

  18.8.2009 05:15 #6

• LM2008

  Uhm, reports shows that dvd still tops blue ray disc sales.

  18.8.2009 07:36 #7

• 97484782

  That would be a cool device to have, cause then my computers can have some rest from burning.

  3.9.2009 23:21 #8