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Real Settles Lawsuits, Will Stop Selling RealDVD

Posted by timothy on from the check-with-your-corporate-masters dept.

angry tapir writes "RealNetworks has agreed to pay $4.5 million and permanently stop selling its RealDVD software as part of a legal settlement with six Hollywood movie studios. The lawsuits date back to 2008 and Slashdot has previously discussed them. RealDVD is an application that lets people make copies of their DVDs."

4 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Oh no, we're screwed! by OrwellianLurker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The fact that it is even illegal is absurd. This case is just one depressing example.

    --
    'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' - Mao Tse-tung
  2. Please, no! by bcmm · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please Slashdot, don't make me decide whether I hate Hollywood or RealNetworks more!

    --
    # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
    Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
  3. Shit! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now I'll have to go back to using Handbrake again, and miss out on RealDVD's actually-pretty-onerous-and-studio-friendly DRM features. I'm not sure how I'll manage using a free program that produces fully unencumbered versions after using quality commercial software from a trusted name like Real.

    Seriously, though, what did they hope to accomplish by slapping Real down? Our Antiguan buddies at Slysoft are still up to their nefarious tricks, so it isn't as though smacking Real did much damage to the market for commercial DVD ripping products; and libdvdcss, VLC, et al. are still doing their thing and not at all hard to find on the OSS side.

    So far as I can see, the moral of the story here is that if you try to offer a product that pleases customers while playing nice with studios(as Real did by offering ripping; but imposing restrictions on the rips) the studios will gut you and spit on your corpse; but if you just brazenly violate the restrictions, they'll be powerless to stop you. I'm pretty sure that that isn't the message that they really want to send.

  4. Re:Oh no, we're screwed! by closetpsycho · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm not a lawyer either, but you're right. He hasn't violated copyright law. He has violated the DMCA's anti-circumvention clause though.