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Intel Threatens DMCA Using HDCP Crack

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the no-surprise-here dept.

mikesd81 writes "Intel is apparently threatening to use the DMCA against anyone using the HDCP crack under the DMCA's anti-circumvention clause. 'There are laws to protect both the intellectual property involved as well as the content that is created and owned by the content providers,' said Tom Waldrop, a spokesman for the company, which developed HDCP. 'Should a circumvention device be created using this information, we and others would avail ourselves, as appropriate, of those remedies.'"

7 of 373 comments (clear)

  1. Barn Doors by tsalmark · · Score: 5, Insightful

    After the horse has left the barn it's too late to close the door.

    1. Re:Barn Doors by AusIV · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The thing is, the horse hasn't really left the barn. At this point HDCP isn't really about preventing piracy - there are much better ways to rip most HD content. The value of HDCP to Intel is that it forces anyone who wants to build an HDMI compatible device to license HDCP if their users want to get the full HD experience. Thanks to the DMCA, the leaked master key doesn't mean much on that front. There may be some Chinese manufacturers putting out a few cheaper devices, but anything the average consumer will buy at Best Buy still has to license HDCP from Intel. In this statement, Intel is making it clear that they intend to use the DMCA to enforce licensing requirements against any manufacturers who might think this means they don't have to license HDCP anymore.

  2. Oh Yea? by __aavqan3009 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe I won`t use Intel....

  3. Re:Bring it on by Mattcelt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    All that has to be done is for a company to make a module with a flashable keyspace. Then the end-user can add the master key to the device themselves, and nobody gets in trouble (unless they start sharing the content).

  4. Interoperability by aztektum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The DMCA allows for reverse-engineering for interoperability. So, eat a dick Intel.

    --
    :: aztek ::
    No sig for you!!
  5. Re:Bring it on by julesh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All that has to be done is for a company to make a module with a flashable keyspace. Then the end-user can add the master key to the device themselves, and nobody gets in trouble (unless they start sharing the content).

    Nope, sorry, still a device designed to enable breaking "effective" technological measures, whether it requires end-user modification or not.

    No, the *real* answer is to market *two* devices, one of which enables a perfectly legal non-copyright-violating use (i.e. an HDMI->DVI adapter that converts standard monitors to HDCP-enabled ones) and one of which doesn't circumvent the DRM (i.e. a DVI video capture board). Plug one into the other and you have an apparently legal means of capturing encrypted video streams.

    Problem is, I assume HDCP is patented. You won't see such devices being mass marketed because they would necessarily infringe on those patents. So maybe another approach is required: just a device with an HDMI port, an ethernet port, an FPGA and a memory card reader to provide the design for the FPGA. Legitimate use: can be programmed to display stuff on your TV. Memory card distributed with it has a simple photo-viewing application. Alternative memory card you can download from somewhere apparently unconnected to the manufacturer has the HDCP-cracking application.

  6. Re:So, anybody up to making an open source cracker by jonwil · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are already chips out there that can do HDMI with HDCP (e.g. Analog Devices AD9393) if you supply a key.
    So it should be a matter of using one of these plus a key derived from this intel master key.