Judge Opens Hearing On RealDVD Legal Battle

FP writes "On Friday morning, lawyers urged a federal judge to bar RealNetworks from selling software that allows consumers to copy their DVDs to computer hard drives, arguing that the Seattle-based company's product is an illegal pirating tool. RealNetworks' lawyers countered later in the morning that its RealDVD product is equipped with piracy protections that limits a DVD owner to making a single copy and is a legitimate way to back up copies of movies legally purchased. This legal battle began with a restraining order last October which stopped the sale of RealDVD. More coverage is available at NPR. The same judge who shut down Napster is presiding over the three-day trial." Reader IonOtter points out that later in the day, Judge Patel sealed the court after DVD Copy Control Association lawyers "argued that public testimony of aspects of the CSS copy-control technology would violate trade secrets."

Comments

Real Networks

[oldspewey]

Real Networks should definitely be banned from distributing this software, but then again they should be banned from distributing any software of any kind - everything that comes from Real Networks appears to be utter and irredeemable shit.

Why do you care?

[bill_four_oh]

What do people here believe about intellectual property? Do you think someone should benefit from their creative work?