DMCA dismissed from tape backup lawsuit

A federal district court has ruled that a consulting firm did not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act when performing maintenance on StorageTek tape backup systems. StorageTek had claimed that Custom Hardware illegally tricked a tape backup unit into granting its technicians full access to the system's internals.

But Judge Rya Zobel in Massachusetts ruled (click for PDF) on June 28 that because StorageTek's GetKey security did not "effectively control access" to the system, the DMCA did not apply. Zobel awarded Custom Hardware summary judgment on that point, although the lawsuit will continue on other grounds.