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Kaleidescape's high-end movie player business lives on (updated)
If you're familiar with Kaleidescape, it's likely related to the company's years-long battle with the DVD Copy Control Association over the right to sell disc-ripping movie servers. After a decade of legal wrangling, the parties settled two years ago with an agreement that effectively killed the DVD copying feature. Now, after making attempts to build pricey Blu-ray jukeboxes and a high-quality movie download service that worked with Hollywood's copy-protection demands instead of against them, the company is shutting its doors.
Kaleidescape DVD servers granted a temporary stay
Things have been looking bleak for Kaleidescape's DVD servers since a Judge ruled against them on appeal, and earlier this month issued an injunction that was to have taken effect on April 8th. We say was because CEO Michael Malcolm is now saying the California 6th District Court of Appeal has issued a temporary stay of that injunction. The court is still deciding whether or not to stay the injunction during the entire process, a decision Malcolm says could affect whether or not the company survives or has to lay people off. While the current case does not affect Kaleidescape's tethered Blu-ray servers, it's tiring to hear about all this from the DVD CCA over a DRM scheme that was cracked wide open so long ago, and a case that had appeared to be over.
Latest Kaleidescape tentative judgement could mean the end of untethered disc servers
The thing about the American civil court system is you can almost never stop looking over your shoulder, even when you thought you won. Things get appealed and what was a favorable ruling can become your worst nightmare five years later. That's what the folks at Kaleidescape are facing if the latest tentative judgement in its case vs the DVD Copy Control Association, which licenses DVD's defunct copy protection, CSS. Last time around Kaleidescape was on the other side of the ruling with the Judge agreeing that there was no violation of any terms of service. This time around? Not so much. It would mean a shift in legal DVD servers, but we'd imagine Blu-ray takes up most of the market by now anyway. Currently Kaleidescape's Blu-ray products authenticate the disc is in the vault before playing, and its CEO has testified modifications could be made to the DVD products within a few months. So with Managed Copy being DOA and UltraViolet being anything but disappointing to anyone, days without keeping track of discs to watch the movies you own seems like a fairy tale -- legally anyways.
AMX's media server line axed over DVD ripping dispute
Looks like AMX isn't eager to be next in line for a battle after Kaleidescape and Real Networks, as it's chosen to kill the MAX line of multimedia servers, aimed at storing and streaming ripped discs, primarily in digital signage environments. CEPro notes several other similar servers that chose to fade out rather than fight the DVD Copy Control Association, while Kaleidescape is apparently still tied up in the courts, we're still wondering if legit disc ripping will arrive before Managed Copy.
CEPro breaks down Real and Kaleidescape cases, uncovers more questions
It's been a rough week for DVD copying services from Real and Kaleidescape, and public understanding of the whole DVD copying mess hasn't been spared. People like to watch DVDs and lawyers like to get paid, however, so we're willing to bet there's more to come. CEPro has put together a breakdown of the issues at hand, which not only makes for some good reading but also shows just how far from any real clarity we are. Whether it's legal to make bit-for-bit copies, but illegal to view them; legal to use copying tools, but illegal to produce them; or just plain mean to do something Hollywood doesn't want you to, consumers are going to push for media convenience. We're still hoping Blu-ray's Managed Copy gives us enough wiggle room on our HD digital handcuffs, but sadly, it seems like DVD fans can pick between taking up residence in legal limbo while the courts struggle to catch up with tech or just strip the CSS from discs and get on with their lives.
Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment
When it rains it pours -- right on the heels of the punishing blow dealt to RealDVD, the money-laden Kaleidescape crowd suffered its own setback at the hands of the law. You just know that the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association) appealed the 2007 ruling that allowed Kaleidescape owners to rip DVDs to their media servers, and yesterday a California Appeals Court overturned that ruling. Next stop -- the Santa Clara Superior Court, which could place an injunction on Kaleidescape if the appeal is upheld. It's not over yet, but we're prepping the soundboard with ominous music, boos and noisy hand-wringing. Whatever (and whenever) the outcome, we can only hope that Blu-ray's Managed Copy comes to the scene sooner rather than later and settles this issue for our beloved HD content
RealNetworks steps up its RealDVD legal case, just wants your approval
It wasn't long ago that RealNetworks and its kludgy Player software were the bane of computer users everywhere. But, a few legal accusations later, Real is now the apple in the eye of every fair use advocate, fighting for the right for users to make legal copies of DVDs -- so long as you make them through its RealDVD software, of course. The company is now escalating its legal battle against Hollywood big wigs, suing the six major movie studios and the DVD Copy Control Association for anticompetitive activity, asking for monetary damages due to the sales it has lost since the industry asked for that initial injunction against RealDVD. We're not entirely sure who's going to come up on top of this one, but if Kaleidescape can survive the CCA, maybe Real can too.
DVD group approves restrictive download-to-burn scheme
At first glance, one may assume that being able to legally burn a DVD of a recent film download would be excellent progress in enabling consumers to better manage their media, but it comes as no surprise that the DVD Copy Control Association has laced the process in stipulations. Reportedly, the DVD CCA "hammered out an agreement with movie studios, electronics makers and computer makers and announced that it will license software to allow content to be burned onto one disc but not copied to others." Furthermore, the discs that you burn to will be "special" versions that have "preprinted codes in order to prevent copying." As if that wasn't enough, these unique DVDs will absolutely cost more due to royalties, users won't "be able to watch the downloaded version on a computer or portable video player," and many older DVD burners would have to be upgraded in order to use the process. Um, thanks?[Thanks, Matt G.]
Kaleidescape ruling could further delay managed copy on HD flicks
As if you weren't scootin' around the AACS protection on your high definition films already, the finalized spec for the Advanced Access Content System could be delayed even further thanks to the somewhat surprising ruling given in Kaleidescape's recent ruling. According to Michael Ayers, a senior attorney with Toshiba America Information Systems who also manages the group that licenses AACS, there will "absolutely be increased scrutiny of the AACS documents after this court decision," meaning that managed copy decisions could continue on the perpertual delay path its already on. Still, we highly doubt the savvy ones are waiting around for someone to tell them how to "make copies of movies on a controlled basis," but it could be quite awhile longer for those that are.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
Kaleidescape escapes DVD CCA's wrath in court
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.
iTunes to allow video burning soon?
I used the question mark because nothing is set in stone here, but TUAW reader Ann-CA tipped us off to a report at the DVD Newsroom that Hollywood might actually be close to lifting some of their over-the-top restrictions on DVD burning. This slightly loosened grip on their content could allow for things like DVD burning kiosks (it better be a darn fast burner), and it could also give the green light to vendors like the iTunes Music Store to allow burning of purchased videos.The panel in charge of making and (finally) rewriting these rules is called the DVD Copy Control Association, according to DVD Newsroom. This DVDCCA is currently working on licensing the encryption technology (Content Scrambling System, or: CSS - nothing to do with web design) to digital distribution services, which is the key to allowing video burning.No ETA is offered on when these rewritten rules could see the light of day, or when video burning could arrive in the iTMS. If Hollywood's reaction times of the past are any indication (and I genuinely hope they aren't), however, we might all be using 7th or 8th gen iPods before we can watch iTMS video on something besides Apple-branded devices.
