“Free speech and intellectual-property rights collided in
hearings held this week to decide whether Web-site operators would
be barred from posting or linking to a software utility that it’s
said can be used to make unauthorized copies of digital video discs
(DVD).”
“In a New York case, eight motion picture companies sought
injunctions against Web sites to block the Internet distribution of
a program called DeCSS, which breaks the encoding system used in
millions of DVDs. Announcing the court action, Jack Valenti,
CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, said the MPAA “is
striking a blow today in defense of the future of American
movies.“
“Valenti insisted that the distribution of DeCSS was a case of
theft no different from distributing unauthorized keys to a
department store. “We are determined to defend the technology that
protects artists’ and intellectual property holders’ rights,” vowed
Valenti.”