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Philips vs Unlicensed DVD Players

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i'm-taking-my-toys-and-going-home dept.

Kallahar writes "NewScientist is running an article about how Phillips, Sony, and Pioneer have "asked customs officials throughout Europe to seize players made by unlicensed factories." Philips, Sony and Pioneer have pooled many hundreds of patents covering all aspects of the DVD system. Philips administers the pool, grants licences and collects royalties, which are then shared three ways." This comes on the heals of philips going after copy protected CDs. The draw for these DVD players for consumers is probably both price, and the fact that they are often free of those pesky region encodings (especially nice for anime junkies)

3 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. Goddammit! by Kasreyn · · Score: 1, Troll

    This infuriates me. I'm an anime fan and was intending to get my hands on a regionless player eventually so I'd not be stuck with only US dubbed and subbed releases. I'm currently struggling financially and I can't afford luxury items like DVD's and players, though. So it looks like by the time I do get around to affording them, regionless players will be a thing of the past (I can imagine a conversation with a future child: "Daddy, what was 'Fair Use'?"). None of my friends or family have been able to find regionless players either - one of them got one that was advertised as regionless and it was in fact region 1. Where the hell do you find them??

    -Kasreyn

    --
    Kasreyn: Cheerfully playing the part of Devil's Advocate to hairtrigger /. flamers since 1999.
  2. Re:Okay, so what's the problem? by Carl · · Score: 1, Troll
    > Where's the incentive to create if it's legal to just steal the invention and pay nothing?

    You say steal but you seem to mean reuse.

    Look at the GNU project, the Apache project(s), the Linux kernel, the *BSDs, count the number of Debian packages, all the applications on Savannah, Sourceforce and Freshmeat. Look at all the great technologies created at Universities (which are often the basis of those "great" technologies, or cheap ripoffs if you like, that are sold in the industry).

    There are a lot of more incentives to create great technology then making lots of money of it. Focussing on how to make money on something often

    You might want to read Anarchism Triumphant by Eben Moglen who explains this a lot better then I can.

  3. Re:Memo to Customs Officers by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 1, Troll
    Police agents should inspire trust and safety in citizens, not fear.
    Well, if you're a nigger, that's not OUR problem.