Internet Contest To Promote Worldwide Spread Of DVD Software For Linux

Thanks to Dave for this
link.

December 30, 1999 For Immediate Release

In response to baseless legal threats by the motion picture
industry, Internet users have begun a worldwide contest to develop
creative methods to distribute free software to play DVD movies
under Linux. The contest is based in the Bay Area and will be
judged by local Linux and Internet experts.

An industry organization called the DVD CCA recently attempted
to get a temporary restraining order to prohibit Internet
distribution of DVD software for Linux, even though it the software
is only useful for playing DVD movies, not for copying one DVD to
another, and was written from scratch, not by violating the
copyright of any previous software.

There have been no reported cases of anyone using Linux software
to make illegal copies of DVD movies — only to watch them.

The three winners of the contest will be the person who
distributes the most copies of DVD software for Linux, and the
people who develop the best “high-tech” and the best “low-tech”
methods for doing do.

“The contest is a direct response to legal bullying by DVD CCA,”
said organizer Donald B. Marti Jr. “A well-financed industry
organization is threatening independent web sites, when Linux users
are only trying to watch the movies they already paid for.”

There have been no reports of anyone using Linux software to
make illegal copies of DVD movies — only to watch them.

The Great International DVD Source Code Distribution Contest web
site is located at: http://dvd.zgp.org/.

The prizes will be DVD movies.