Group wants DVD-code ruling overturned

The Computer & Communications Industry Association is asking the California Supreme Court to overturn a lower-court ruling that an Indiana man can be tried in California even though his only contact with the state is via the Internet. Matthew Pavlovich was named as a defendant in a lawsuit charging that he and others helped illegally crack the copy protection code on DVDs. Pavlovich, who was experimenting with adding features to DVDs and making them Linux-player compatible, operated his site from Indiana.

"If allowed to stand, this decision would create universal jurisdiction in California for any person or company that publishes a Web site on the Internet," CCIA Chief Executive Ed Black said in a statement. The organization has filed a brief supporting Pavlovich's cause. Jurisdiction has become a contentious issue in Web-related cases as the Internet has increased the ability to operate across state lines and country borders.