css capable plugin for xine - what is the legal status?
Hi,
(_please_ CC: answers to me, as I'm not on the lists)
This may be an old issue, which I have already brought up on -devel, but
there hasn't been any sufficient answer yet.
I have read through the whole discussion of a similar question about
libcss and oms. (archived on
http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-0012/msg00714.html and Follow-Ups)
Most of this discussion was quite hard to understand as I'm not a native
English speaker, let alone a lawyer! However, There were some interesting
points which are also true for xine's css plugin (downloadable from
http://members.nbci.com/captain_css). All of these points must be cleared
before I could possibly start to package the plugin:
The code is GPLed, so there are no licensing issues.
The legal status of css decryption code is unclear.
Possibly, libcss and similar code like the xine plugin are only illegal in
the US.
Distribution of the plugin may or may not be illegal.
Usage of the plugin may or may not be illegal.
The problem might be that css decryption code is a result of
reengeneering, which is also true for the IFO parsing code in the xine
plugin.
Another problem might be the cryptographic nature if the css decryption
code which might affect US export control. (=> non-us?)
I would really appreciate a clear, and human-readable, statement about
these points, but the essential question is:
Can I package the css capable xine DVD input plugin and where should it
go (main/non-us/contrib/etc.)?
Thanks in advance,
Siggi
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