On Wed, Jul 30, 2003 at 01:49:48AM +0000, Robert Millan wrote: > On Tue, Jul 29, 2003 at 06:14:53PM -0500, Steve Langasek wrote: > > On Wed, Jul 30, 2003 at 01:02:36AM +0000, Robert Millan wrote: > > > Whatever. The fact is that when we put Drip, libdvdread and libdvdcss > > > together we obtain what what the DMCA calls a "circumvention device for > > > copyright protection technology". This may happen in non-us, but must not > > > happen in main. > > I don't see any bright line that would be used here to legally > > distinguish between (Drip+libdvdread+libdvdcss) and libdvdcss by itself. > > It seems to me that if we're allowed to ship libdvdcss, we're also > > allowed to ship applications that use it. > This is what the DMCA reads: > "(2) No person shall manufacturate, import, offer to the public, provide, > or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component > or part thereof, that-- > (A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a > technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected > under this title;" > The libdvdcss has the primary purpose of allowing DVD players to reproduce > CSS-encoded movies, and not that of circumventing CSS. Any DVD player has > the primary purpose of reproducing CSS-encoded movies, so the same applies. > Drip is a DVD ripper. Without CSS support, it rips DVDs but doesn't break > the CSS protection so it is not put in question. When CSS-enabled, its > primary purpose is argueably the circumvention of CSS, which is "a > technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected > under this title". This is an arbitrary distinction that has no clear basis in the law. You are also circumventing CSS by playing the DVD in question (viewing is also a form of "access"). Remember that CSS is a standard developed by a consortium of DVD *player manufacturers*, to maintain their hardware profits. > Anyway I find this discussion much useless, since the DMCA can't be applied > to non-us. SPI is a US corporation, and its assets could be seized as the result of a court settlement against us. AIUI, this is the main reason why CSS-aware software is not already commonplace in non-US. -- Steve Langasek postmodern programmer
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