mpaa

We're not talking about a team of dancing zombies; we mean a team of friends to form her Zombie Preparedness task force. Because it is Zombie Preparedness Day. We also bring it with some open-source good news for DVR builders, and the Linux folks talking tough to Microsoft.

Time Warner rationale for bandwidth caps doesn’t add up http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/get-ready-for-metered-broadband-texas.ars

Verizon promises 4G wireless for rural America http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10209933-51.html

MPAA: Box office up, but 'sober epic' underway in home video … Read more

RealNetworks and the film industry continues to blast each other in public over RealDVD, the controversial DVD-copying software.

The maker of digital media tools on Monday reminded customers who downloaded a free 30-day trial of RealDVD that the period is ending and the film industry is preventing them from buying the product. The company is offering a new deal to these customers.

"We have been forced by legal action to at least temporarily halt the sale of RealDVD by Hollywood's largest movie studios," RealNetworks said in a post on it's site. "You shouldn't be … Read more

If you've been copying DVDs using some made-in-China DVD player, think about taking good care of the device, as you might not be able to buy a replacement.

The Motion Picture Association of America on Friday announced that its member companies have won a breach of contract lawsuit against China-based DVD player manufacturer Gowell Electronics Limited. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a permanent injunction that prohibits the manufacturer from violating any term of the Content Scramble System license agreement.

The lawsuit started in June of 2008 after an MPAA investigation revealed that … Read more

The movie industry has finally responded to accusations that it filed suit to stop sales of RealDVD software as a means of maintaining control over technology companies.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that advocates for the rights of Internet users, last week called the lawsuit filed by the major movie studios against RealNetworks, the maker of the DVD-ripping software, an attempt at "controlling innovation."

On Monday, the Motion Picture Association of America responded in an open letter to the EFF titled: "Hollywood isn't Living in the Past, EFF Shouldn't Either." In the letter … Read more

Hollywood isn't suing RealNetworks over piracy--that's just a smokescreen, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The group that advocates for the rights of Internet users said in a blog post Friday night that the the primary reason the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) filed a copyright suit against RealNetworks and is trying to halt the sale of the RealDVD software is to make sure the company, and anyone else wishing to build movie players, gets Hollywood's permission first.

"It has nothing to do with piracy and everything to do with controlling innovation," said Fred … Read more

Inside Marilyn Patel's courtroom on Tuesday, it was obvious the federal judge was concerned by some of the things she heard about RealDVD.

The $30 software enables people to copy DVDs and store their contents on a computer's hard drive. Lawyers for the movie industry told the judge at a hearing in San Francisco that by selling the technology to consumers, RealNetworks violated copyright law and that the software could cost the studios billions in lost DVD sales.

"She was clearly concerned about the possibility the software could lead to copyright theft," said Fred von Lohmann, … Read more

(I took a closer look at the "Napster judge" presiding over the case in this story.)

SAN FRANCISCO--RealNetworks on Tuesday failed to convince a district judge to lift a restraining order and allow the company to start selling RealDVD again until she learns from experts, including the court's, how the software functions.

That means RealDVD, which enables users to copy a DVD and store it on their hard drive, is unlikely to reappear in the marketplace for at least another month and perhaps longer. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel indicated she wouldn't be available for … Read more

In today's show, featuring co-host Dan Ackerman, we discuss the benefits of being an independent musician (Dan says it's a great time!), the increasingly furious-yet-futile fight between the MPAA and RealDVD, Delta preemptively filtering porn on planes, and Kid Rock finding a home on the Web, regardless of whether we want him there.

eBay buys Bill Me Later, lays off 1,000 http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10058660-92.html

Judge temporarily halts sales of RealDVD in wake of lawsuit http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081005-judge-temporarily-halts-sale-of-realdvd-in-wake-of-lawsuit.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10058574-93.html… Read more

It's official: Hollywood has asked a federal court for a restraining order to stop RealNetworks from selling its RealDVD software, a technology that enables users to copy films and store them on their hard drives.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the largest film studios, filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming that "RealNetworks' RealDVD violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act because its software illegally bypasses the copyright protection built into DVDs."

Representatives of the MPAA, which has also asked for monetary damages, said they hope that the judge will … Read more