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Vivendi Universal vs. News Corporation

Posted by michael on from the et-tu-brute dept.

timbo_red writes: "According to a BBC story, NDS, a company 80% owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is being sued by Canal+ for allegedly cracking their smart cards, which could have had a serious effect on ITV digital, the major UK competitor to Murdochs Sky digital in the UK pay TV market."

5 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Nice links but the content is? by bfree · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So it seems that Canal+ are alledging that NDS (which News Corp alledges operates independantly despite being 80$ owned by NC) cracked their smart cards and published the result online! Either something very sinister happened (but I can't see how this would benefit NC as it would simply provide digital TV service of the wrong kind to their potential customers also) or this is the act of one person (or a very small group) within NDS who were stupid enough to post the crack from a trackable IP. It would be nice to know more, anyone have any substantial links?

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    Never underestimate the dark side of the Source

  2. Re:Eek... by BeBoxer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Remarkably, the article doesn't mention if the DMCA is being invoked. It probably won't be, because then it would be applied in the manner Congress actually meant, which would break the perfect record of the DMCA only being misused. Also, News Corp. and it's subsidiaries are quite capable of fighting a legal battle of almost any scope and duration. This would increase the risk of an actual court precedent against the DMCA. Once again, this would break the perfect record of the DMCA only being invoked against relatively powerless victims. The DMCA is far too powerful a tool for misuse for anyone to risk it's long and promising future.

  3. The end is near :) by CDWert · · Score: 4, Interesting

    When big boys like this start duking it out over greed based issues, and lets be honest thats what this is, the end is near, It woulda been more fun to see say sony vs disney or maybe someone else they dont already own :)

    Remerber when Ibm started trying to sue all the clone makers ? Or apple. Remeber when Sony sued over the betamax, or so on so forth.

    I think what happens is greed reaches an apex, it cannot make money off going after the little guys distributing css, (it can try to limi it) but at some point it all falls like a house of cards when companies like this focus all their energies out of squeezing every last cent out of anyone for any reason , and in the process become a company for which litigation is their core business. V/Unv core business is supposed to be entertainment. I wouldnt know I have boycotted any materials, my small part in the struggle. But it seems no longer like a company interested in entertainment but more so litigation.

    When companies like these start running around suing each other its often too late and they are only trying to salvage what they can, or make a stnd where they are, anyone know their current financials ? (the real ones please :)

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    Sig went tro...aahemmm.....fishing........
  4. US = DMCA, Non? by Slashdolt · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "NDS spent huge sums cracking the code on Canal Plus smart cards, and handed the code to a website used by fraudsters, documents filed in a California court allege."

    IF... they cracked any sort of code, that should be enough to subject them to the DMCA, unless there is some sort of jurisdictional issue at play. Nevertheless, if they do business in the U.S., then the DMCA would apply to them (ask Elcomsoft).

  5. UK Pay TV Market? by booch · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I thought all TV in the UK was pay. I.e. the governement collected money for each TV you own so it could run the BBC.

    --
    Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.