The DVD Copy Control Association, who owns the copy-protection technology contained on DVDs, good old CSS, is upset because a company called Kaleidescape is offering products that that they say illegally makes copies of DVDs.
Kaleidescape is a system that uploads the full contents of as many as 500 DVDs to a home server. Then you can just set back in the old recliner and browse through the movies without later using the DVDs themselves. Oops! That's what the copy-protection scheme known as Content Scramble System (CSS) is supposed to stop. Of course we all know here how illegal it is to bypass CSS. So what we have here is a failure to communicate.
The interesting thing is, according to this article at least, Kaleidescape claims it has been working closely with the group all along. Now, the DVD CCA wants the hardware banned. What's up with that?
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"We are flabbergasted by this lawsuit," Malcolm said. "We have gone to great pains to make our system comply 100 percent with licences and all the associated technical procedures and requirements." The company will fight the lawsuit and is likely to countersue the DVD CCA, Malcolm added. The suit was filed in California state court in Santa Clara County. The group is asking the court for unspecified damages and to stop Kaleidescape from further sales of its products. |
Well, I guess you probably live in California too
if you can afford one of these "gizmos". They start at around $30,000 dollars, so it ain't like Walmart will have to pull them off the shelves. Still, it's got to be aggravating to a hardware company to design and produce such a niche product, only to have it be burdened with a lawsuit in the end. If what Kaleidescape is claiming is true, they should sue the pants off these Hollywood legal eagles. Don't forget to bring that license agreement! We'll be keeping an eye on this case.
Source: ZDNet
