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RealNetworks appeals RealDVD ruling

RealNetworks has appealed the recent court ruling that blocked it from selling its RealDVD copying software.

The company never got to sell one unit of the software before they were taken to court by the media industry, with full backing by the Hollywood studios. Real was served with an injunction in August, banning sales of the software and of an upcoming set-top that incorporates the technology.



U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled at the time that RealDVD circumvents the CSS copyright protection of the discs, thus violating the DMCA.

At the same time, Patel rejected the "Fair Use" argument the company was making, despite Real's claim that they were simply giving customers the chance to exercise their right to make backup copies of movies they own.

The appeal trial is set to start November 9th and should garner big media attention.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 9 Oct 2009 16:55

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• 4 comments

• Tristan_2

  I sure hope Real Networks win this time around

  9.10.2009 17:18 #1

• SomeBozo

  Originally posted by Tristan_2: I sure hope Real Networks win this time aroundAgreed, Real should have the ability to sell there product. The movie industry here is being hypocritical in that there is a "legal" dvd back up they even approve of that customers like you and I can own that cost 10K (U.S.). Personal DVD backup should be available for all not just the rich.

  9.10.2009 18:12 #2

• KillerBug

  I hope they win too...having a big DVD archive isn't very fun...it takes forever to find the movie you want, and your friends always mess it up by putting DVD in the wrong cases, and cases in the wrong places. I moved everything I had to hard drives a while ago, and couldn't be happier with the setup...but people should not have to go to the lengths that I went to in order to do this.
  
  As a bonus, I am storing all my DVDs at my dad's house, so if there is ever a fire/hurricane/flood/etc that destroys one house, I will still have my huge collection of movies at the other house.

  9.10.2009 23:44 #3

• SpikePCan

  Re: "The company never got to sell one unit of the software before they were taken to court by the media industry, with full backing by the Hollywood studios."
  
  Not true... I (and, I suspect, hundreds of others) bought, downloaded, installed, and activated the software during the approximately 36-hour window it was available from Real Networks, and have been using it ever since. It's really an excellent program, and there's no conceivable way you could use it to make and distribute copies (or if you could, you wouldn't need this program in the first place).
  
  As Real Networks stated in court, not only does RealDVD *not* strip away CSS-encryption from the video stream; it actually adds another layer of encryption to prevent the digital content from being copied to another computer. Hardly a pirate's dream; more like what it was intended to be -- a good way for legal DVD owners to protect their investment.

  22.10.2009 19:01 #4