EE Times: DVD body sues to halt decryption code’s spread

“The licensing agency responsible for DVD security has gone to
court to stem the spread of hacked code that can thwart DVD
encryption.”

“At stake, the plaintiffs assert, is the future of the DVD
format itself. But supporters of the DVD hack disagree. They point
out that the DVD encryption was cracked not for piracy but as part
of a project to develop a Linux-based DVD player, something the DVD
industry itself has yet to tackle. Meanwhile, some are calling for
increased proliferation of the DVD hack as a way to protest the
lawsuit….”

“Java programmer Andrew McLaughlin, a defendant, insists DeCSS
aims to bring DVD to Linux and poses no new threat of piracy for
DVD titles. “It was the opportunity to distribute software that
would help people watch DVDs on Linux. That it would become a legal
problem didn’t come up until later,” he said. “While VHSes have
been around to copy for years, it’s a thriving business,” he added.
“It’s asinine to think DVDs will have any problems.“

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