We all know that bit about a "speedy trial" doesn't exactly come to fruition in most cases, and after three excruciating years of
battling innovation stranglers the DVD Copy Control Association,
Kaleidescape has escaped unscathed. The firm's DVD ripping / streaming jukebox was under fire for obvious reasons, as it not only encouraged the ripping of "protected content," but it helped users rip and transmit the data around their network. The DVD CCA whined that the machine "breached a contract" when it crafted a product that enabled users to copy its locked-down material onto hard-drive based servers -- the judge, however, felt otherwise. In fact, it was ruled that "nothing in the DVD CCA licensing agreement prohibits the development of products that allow users to copy their DVDs," thus, no contract was breached at all. One down,
too many to go.
posted Mar 30th 2007 at 1:01AM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Stranger @ Mar 30th 2007 1:28AM
The entire case was stupid. The Kaledidescape system cost more than most cars and I'm sure owners of these systems have more than enough money to actually buy the flicks they wish to watch.
And yea - first post! :-)
ph @ Mar 30th 2007 7:06AM
I never understood why anyone would want a kelidescope system when they could but a pc and a couple terrabytes of Hard drive for less than 2000 dollars and rip all their dvds that way.
Much cheaper, and no law suite problems! :)
Kichigai Mentat @ Mar 30th 2007 1:01PM
In most cases, that still violates the DMCA, since you're being forced to crack CSS in order to get a useful rip. I think the only product like that, though, is DriveIn for OS X by Flip4Mac, which I was expecting to be sued out of existence pretty quickly. However, unless you simultaneously mount all the disc images, you won't be able to access these from a "ten foot UI" (like Front Row).
polar @ Mar 30th 2007 9:52AM
"nothing in the DVD CCA licensing agreement prohibits the development of products that allow users to copy their DVDs,"
That alone seems like a HUGE deal.
Rick Lyon @ Mar 30th 2007 2:30PM
Nice to see. I mean copying cassette tapes and HVS tapes were perfectly fine, acceptable and legal. Now with CDs and DVDs you have superior content quality and the respective industries are trying to strong arm a consumer right?
I bet we never see HD radios with recording features either.
cjrenaud @ Mar 31st 2007 1:19AM
Why wouldn't you see HD radios that record? It's just digital, not hi-def...the sound quality isn't that much better than analogue.
Rick Lyon @ Mar 31st 2007 9:39AM
Because we can't seem to record and catalog digital content. We can't copy DVDs, we have trouble ripping CDs, and we can't burn DVDs from DVRs and DVRs with DVD burners can't burn the HD material without first downresing it. So, music and movie corporations make copying digital content difficult if not illegal. HD radio would fall into that category. There are 5 or so HD radios out, none have a record and memory stick feature that I know of and I don't expect to see that feature. Hell XM got flack for having a record option on one of their players, not sure how that legal battle is going.