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A Hollywood-backed technology group is suing a high-end home theater system company, contending that its home DVD jukebox technology is illegal.
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The DVD Copy Control Association, the group that owns the copy-protection technology contained on DVDs, said a company called Kaleidescape is offering products that illegally make copies of DVDs. The company, which has won several recent consumer electronics awards, said it has worked closely with the DVD CCA for more than a year, and will fight the suit, filed Tuesday.
Kaleidescape creates expensive consumer electronics networks that upload the full contents of as many as 500 DVDs to a home server, and allow the owner to browse through the movies without later using the DVDs themselves. That's exactly what the copy-protection technology on DVDs, called Content Scramble System (CSS) was meant to prevent, the Hollywood-backed group said.
"The express intent and purpose of the contract and CSS are to prevent copying of copyrighted materials such as DVD motion pictures," Bill Coats, a DVD CCA attorney, said in a statement. "While Kaleidescape obtained a license to use CSS, the company has built a system to do precisely what the license and CSS are designed to prevent--the wholesale copying of protected DVDs."
The DVD technology group has stepped up its efforts in recent months to control hardware that it believes isn't abiding by the rules of DVD copy protection, suing several chip companies. The Kaleidescape lawsuit in particular could help put legal boundaries around the burgeoning home theater market.
The company sells a high-capacity home movie server, which can store hundreds of movies at a time, allowing access from different places in a networked home to as many as seven films at once. Putting the movies on the server requires copying them from the original DVDs, however.
The products don't come cheap. A basic system, storing 160 movies, sold for about $27,000 earlier in the year.
Technology companies including Microsoft have envisioned doing much the same thing with computers such as a Windows Media Center PC. Movies recorded from television or downloaded from a video-on-demand service can be played throughout a networked home using a Media Center Extender.
- Give me a break!
- EVERY DVD BURNER CAN COPY CSS DVDs. Why isn't DVD CSA sueing NEC, SONY, HP ETC.
- Like this
- The thing is complete BS
- If you legetimately own the DVD movies. Why on earth you will pay $27,000 more for a thing to play it. I mean its a price of a good car.
The thing can copy DVD rentals. So it does break the law. - Like this Reply to this comment
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- Users could; Kaleidescape doesn't break law
- "The thing can copy DVD rentals. So it does break the law."
The End User License very strictly prohibits copying of DVD Rentals. The user may break the law, the Kaleidescape device does not break the law.
Any one have more detail on this law suit? - Like this
- It's about convenience
- The advantage of this product is not playing it, but providing easy access to the entire library. Rather than having to search through physical discs and swap them in the player you simply select a file and play the movie. It also provides a single point of storage that is accessable throughout the house.
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- Give me a break!
- EVERY DVD BURNER CAN COPY CSS DVDs. Why isn't DVD CSA sueing NEC, SONY, HP ETC.
- Like this
- You don't have to break CSS to copy a DVD..
- You just have to keep the file structure and encrypted disc key intacted. Of course one may need a dual layer burner to fit some movies on single blank. The only think CSS does is enforce region codes and prevent unauthorized players from playing the content on the disc. Saying CSS was intended to prevent copying shows a completely lack of understanding what is within the ability of cryptography (even bad algorithms like CSS) on digital media. Cryptography controls access not dublication.
- Like this Reply to this comment
- You don't have to break CSS to copy a DVD..
- You just have to keep the file structure and encrypted disc key intacted. Of course one may need a dual layer burner to fit some movies on single blank. The only think CSS does is enforce region codes and prevent unauthorized players from playing the content on the disc. Saying CSS was intended to prevent copying shows a completely lack of understanding what is within the ability of cryptography (even bad algorithms like CSS) on digital media. Cryptography controls access not dublication.
- Like this Reply to this comment
- Shouldn't the customer own the movie?
- I really don't see how it should be illegal to make copies of the movies that you own for personal use. Something like this not only allows greater ease of access to the movies in your library but also eliminates the problem of damaging the disc.
Of course there are illegal uses for such a technology, but then there are illegal uses for pretty much anything. - Like this Reply to this comment
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- Agreed
- I agree, Jason. I have no problem with consumers pulling DVD content off the discs to be viewed at a later time in a more convenient format. Photographs are scanned each and every day, and those images are used on people's personal computers. If they *distribute* the pictures, they are breaking the law. The only reason the scan doesn't break the law is because pictures are not "encrypted." Motion Picture groups should focus on truely illegal behavior, or on creating products that simply cannot be copied, if they don't like it. This probably highlights one of the DMCA's largest flaws.
- Like this
- The problem is...
- The problem is that people don't do it for personal use. They do it to steal. Sure there are people that do it only for personal use, but the larger portion of people wreck it for everyone else.
As for owning the movie they can't do that without loosing their copyrights to it. So you own the disc, just not what's on it.
Robert - Like this View reply
- Shouldn't the customer own the movie?
- I really don't see how it should be illegal to make copies of the movies that you own for personal use. Something like this not only allows greater ease of access to the movies in your library but also eliminates the problem of damaging the disc.
Of course there are illegal uses for such a technology, but then there are illegal uses for pretty much anything. - Like this Reply to this comment
-
- Agreed
- I agree, Jason. I have no problem with consumers pulling DVD content off the discs to be viewed at a later time in a more convenient format. Photographs are scanned each and every day, and those images are used on people's personal computers. If they *distribute* the pictures, they are breaking the law. The only reason the scan doesn't break the law is because pictures are not "encrypted." Motion Picture groups should focus on truely illegal behavior, or on creating products that simply cannot be copied, if they don't like it. This probably highlights one of the DMCA's largest flaws.
- Like this
- The problem is...
- The problem is that people don't do it for personal use. They do it to steal. Sure there are people that do it only for personal use, but the larger portion of people wreck it for everyone else.
As for owning the movie they can't do that without loosing their copyrights to it. So you own the disc, just not what's on it.
Robert - Like this View reply
- Ridulous !
- This is preposterous. Why would they license the CSS decoding, then after the product is developed, try to force them out of business, by overburdening them with legal fees. These are brutal tactics typical of the media companies, and should be illegal. Obviously someone who can afford price of the system, probably has the money to pay for the content. Myself, I believe in paying for the content. But, why would the Republican government(Orrin Hatch), who believes in capitalism and a smaller government get involved in this issue at all. Let the consumer decide themselves about breaking the law. I mean the movies are cheap enough to buy.
- Like this Reply to this comment
- Ridulous !
- This is preposterous. Why would they license the CSS decoding, then after the product is developed, try to force them out of business, by overburdening them with legal fees. These are brutal tactics typical of the media companies, and should be illegal. Obviously someone who can afford price of the system, probably has the money to pay for the content. Myself, I believe in paying for the content. But, why would the Republican government(Orrin Hatch), who believes in capitalism and a smaller government get involved in this issue at all. Let the consumer decide themselves about breaking the law. I mean the movies are cheap enough to buy.
- Like this Reply to this comment
- grow up!
- ever since the first day the vcr was invented. people been recording shows off tv and cable.
ever since the first boombox had a cassette player.
people been recording music off radio.
then came the vcr connected vcr where people been recording a backup of another vcr movie and vice versa with cassette tape to cassette tape.
it was attacked back then an yet here are today.
with level of technology out there progressing, you all knew it was eventually goin to happen.
so stop all your belly aching an wining.
Grow up already.
dvd jukebox just created something more proficiant more practical. clear to the point, making life little bit easier to enjoy a movie they purchased.
you all made the movies an you placed it on dvd.
you put it out on the market to be sold!!!
once sold you lost hold on it. its now the owner of the buyer to do with what he will.
you wanted to make money by producing the dvd to sell. he is not reselling your product but he is selling a product he created.
kudos for him.
as for the cable companies vs the consumer recording there cable shows. i mean come on get real here. the cable companies are promoting there version of dvr
so the consumer can record there favorite tv shows.
cause they can relate to the consumer that they are busy working an not able to watch there shows when there shows is on.
so with dvr they can watch there shows when they are off from work an have time to enjoy watching them.
cause the cable company knows, that by pleasing the consumer the consumer will stay.
(loyal)
can't we all get along.
you made your money, in the movies an selling the dvd's.
are you that greedy that you want to be sole owner of dvd's
get real, time to grow up!!!!
stop acting like a spoil child.
anyway thats my 2 cents if its worth anything. - Like this Reply to this comment
- grow up!
- ever since the first day the vcr was invented. people been recording shows off tv and cable.
ever since the first boombox had a cassette player.
people been recording music off radio.
then came the vcr connected vcr where people been recording a backup of another vcr movie and vice versa with cassette tape to cassette tape.
it was attacked back then an yet here are today.
with level of technology out there progressing, you all knew it was eventually goin to happen.
so stop all your belly aching an wining.
Grow up already.
dvd jukebox just created something more proficiant more practical. clear to the point, making life little bit easier to enjoy a movie they purchased.
you all made the movies an you placed it on dvd.
you put it out on the market to be sold!!!
once sold you lost hold on it. its now the owner of the buyer to do with what he will.
you wanted to make money by producing the dvd to sell. he is not reselling your product but he is selling a product he created.
kudos for him.
as for the cable companies vs the consumer recording there cable shows. i mean come on get real here. the cable companies are promoting there version of dvr
so the consumer can record there favorite tv shows.
cause they can relate to the consumer that they are busy working an not able to watch there shows when there shows is on.
so with dvr they can watch there shows when they are off from work an have time to enjoy watching them.
cause the cable company knows, that by pleasing the consumer the consumer will stay.
(loyal)
can't we all get along.
you made your money, in the movies an selling the dvd's.
are you that greedy that you want to be sole owner of dvd's
get real, time to grow up!!!!
stop acting like a spoil child.
anyway thats my 2 cents if its worth anything. - Like this Reply to this comment
- If I buy a movie then I own it, period!
- This is the most stupid thing that I've heard in a long time. This, if anything will promote piracy!
- Like this Reply to this comment
- If I buy a movie then I own it, period!
- This is the most stupid thing that I've heard in a long time. This, if anything will promote piracy!
- Like this Reply to this comment
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