RealNetworks says its product legally fills growing consumer demand to convert their DVDs to digital form for convenient storage and viewing.
“RealNetworks saw there was an unmet consumer need,” said company lawyer Leo Cunningham. “RealNetworks is a company that respects copyrights.”
With RealDVD, educators theoretically wouldn’t have to worry about buying replacement copies of DVDs that are shown in class; they could make backup copies and store these on a computer hard drive in case the original disc becomes damaged.
In October, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel temporarily barred sales of RealDVD after the product was on the market for a few days. At the time, the judge said it appeared the software did violate federal law against digital piracy, but ordered detailed court filings and the full trial to better understand how RealDVD works.
The lawsuit has incurred widespread wrath from bloggers, digital rights advocates, and groups on both sides of the political spectrum–including former Republican congressman and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr and the left-leaning Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Critics accuse the studios of stifling innovation as they attempt to develop their own copying software.
“It’s all about control,” said Cato Institute scholar Timothy Lee. “No one is allowed to innovate in the DVD space without industry permission.”
The industry, through the Motion Picture Association of America, counters that its goal is to stamp out piracy. It says it welcomes legitimate attempts at innovation.
Regardless of the trial’s outcome–and the judge isn’t expected to rule immediately–some predict that Hollywood control over digital copies will continue to wane because of the proliferation of illegal DVD copying software online.
“If Hollywood wins, I don’t think much changes in the real world,” said Fred von Lohmann, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “Anybody who wants DVDs copied can download [illegal] software for free in 10 minutes.”
Links:
Motion Picture Association of America
Electronic Frontier Foundation
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