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Warner Bros. Accused of Pirating Anti-Pirating Tech

Posted by samzenpus on from the just-trying-it-out dept.

psycho12345 writes "German firm Medien Patent Verwaltung claims that in 2003, it revealed a new kind of anti-piracy technology to Warner Bros. that marks films with specific codes so pirated copies can be traced back to their theaters of origin. But like a great, hilariously ironic DRM Ouroborus, the company claims that Warner began using the system throughout Europe in 2004 but hasn't actually paid a dime for it."

13 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. Do as I say--- by Darth+Sdlavrot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    not as I do.

    1. Re:Do as I say--- by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Insightful

      not as I do.

      Indeed. Like most other entities that try to force everyone else to "play by their rules" or "see things their way", their own rules don't apply to them. This is just like that gaming company that was using someone else's DRM-crack in their own game. I call shenanigans!

    2. Re:Do as I say--- by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Like Sony "stealing" GPL code for it's XCP music CD rootkit malware. These lying theives are all alike, it seems.

      --
      Free Martian Whores!
    3. Re:Do as I say--- by Golddess · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's all well and good, except no where in TFA does it state they were using it anywhere before they learned of it in 2003*.

      To correct your analogy, it'd be like Ted looking at OMG DRM Pawnies Organizer X from this other company, thinking "hey, this is pretty good", and then using it without licensing it.

      *Actually, TFA doesn't say much of anything. Medien Patent Verwaltung filed suit against WB, but they listed one of WB's patents as the infringing patent, and now they will be refiling with the proper patent listed. So we don't really know at this time if they really are infringing on a patent of Medien Patent Verwaltung's.

      --
      "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
    4. Re:Do as I say--- by commodore64_love · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well that's how feudalism works - one set of laws for the serfs and another set for the masters. We need to go back to the ideals of the revolution, where everyone was treated equally under the law. WB should be fined several million dollars.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    5. Re:Do as I say--- by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We need to go back to the ideals of the revolution, where everyone was treated equally under the law. WB's executives should be tarred and feathered.

      Fixed that for you :)

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    6. Re:Do as I say--- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well that's how feudalism works - one set of laws for the serfs and another set for the masters. We need to go back to the ideals of the revolution, where everyone was treated equally under the law. WB should be fined several million dollars.

      Close, but not quite. Warner Brothers should be abolished because no abstract entity should have the rights and privileges of being a human being if it cannot also be punished in the same way (including imprisonment and death).

    7. Re:Do as I say--- by ekgringo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually, using the MPAA's example, wouldn't it be more like $100k per person per viewing?

  2. I Hope they sue by AndGodSed · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Really, I hope this turns into one of those messy public court snafu's that really grab public attention and cause a real raucus.

    This can only benefit from all the publicity it can generate.

    --

    Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity

  3. Re:Novel? by benjymous · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You don't have to worry about giving people bad directions because they're dead-end streets, so nobody will route down them. Nobody is going to be hurt by these little streets in any way.

    "Take the third left"?

    Is that including the road on the left that's on the map, but doesn't exist in reality.

    --
    Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit!
  4. Re:Novel? by JonJ · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How would your GPS suggest that when the street does not exist and is a dead end? You wouldn't try to find the street, it does not exist, and the GPS would never route you through a dead end.

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    -- Linux user #369862
  5. Re:Watermarking!=Piracy by SharpFang · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is novel in a way that the watermark is not spatial but temporal - it only minimally affects the surface of the image, but instead as the image changes over time, the watermark does too, containing much more information than the few points it presents per frame, and being much less obtrusive. Rather original and novel approach.

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    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  6. Re:Novel? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Easy fix: only add fake dead end streets to read dead end streets, so the fake dead end only comes into play if your directions tell you to go to the end of a dead end street and continue on.