MPAA Lobbying for Home Theater Regulations

**Vuk** · 12-05-2006, 19:37

What on earth is the MPAA?

**Lemur** · 12-05-2006, 19:40

A primer for those who are new to the acronyms:

MPAA

RIAA

DRM

Fair use

DMCA

Sony's rootkit DRM fiasco

**Don Corleone** · 12-05-2006, 20:18

Yes, the recording industry are a bunch of scumbags. But running file-servers that distribute their copyrighted material, because they 'deserve it', is vigilantism. It's no different then burning down OJ's house. Trust me, I'd be found guilty of arson, rightfully so.

As for that whole DRM/XCP business, I hope between that, the Playstation 3 artificial shortage, and the exploding laptop batteries, Sony goes under soon. They are a coroporation without scruple and have just made it to the front of my shorts list next time I call my broker. I wonder if this is why my computer can see and identify my CD drives but frequently cannot read the disk on the drive itself on the reader, and the CD-RW/DVD-R doesn't work at all... According to that article, the cure is worse than the sickness. Is there any way to get it off without opening your PC up to remote execution?

**Sasaki Kojiro** · 12-05-2006, 20:24

I don't know why the MPAA is all upset. I can't believe anyone seriously downloads movies as an alternative to buying them. The video and sound quality is just not good enough.

**Blodrast** · 12-05-2006, 20:34

Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

I don't know why the MPAA is all upset. I can't believe anyone seriously downloads movies as an alternative to buying them. The video and sound quality is just not good enough.

Can you really say that in a straight face ?

Ok, I'll try to not be rude, and to keep it within the limits of legal discussion of the org: your claim is false.

edit: dammit, I didn't mean to come off like an arrogant pompous ass - I'm sorry about that. I mean, I still think your claim is incorrect, but I should have managed to say that in a less condescending, and more polite, manner.
My apologies for my knee-jerk reaction, Sasaki.

**Sasaki Kojiro** · 12-05-2006, 20:40

Originally Posted by Blodrast

Can you really say that in a straight face ?

Ok, I'll try to not be rude, and to keep it within the limits of legal discussion of the org: your claim is false.

Maybe I'm just picky.

Netflix is far nicer, and works out to about $1.50 a movie.

**Blodrast** · 12-05-2006, 20:44

And that is probably the kind of business model that will become prevalent, let's hope sooner rather than later.

**doc_bean** · 12-06-2006, 10:54

Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

I don't know why the MPAA is all upset. I can't believe anyone seriously downloads movies as an alternative to buying them. The video and sound quality is just not good enough.

In Europe that's pretty common. I believe in belgium more movies are downloaded a day than in the entire US.

But Europe is piracy land, especially further east I've heard.

**Lemur** · 12-06-2006, 15:18

This is the kind of thing that makes the lemur crazy. I bought a DVD, I own it. I want to watch it on my computer? I should be able to do so. I want to copy it to my video iPod to watch it on a plane? I should be able to do so.

The doctrine of fair use and the precedent set by the Home Recording Act both argue in my favor. The MPAA doesn't give a rat's posterior.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Stealing Fair Use, Selling It Back to You

November 30, 2006

"Apparently, Hollywood believes that you should have to re-purchase all your DVD movies a second time if you want to watch them on your iPod." That's what I said last week, commenting on the Paramount v. Load-N-Go lawsuit, in which Hollywood studios claimed that it is illegal to rip a DVD to put on a personal video player (PVP), even if you own the DVD.

Well, this week the other shoe dropped. According to an article in the New York Times:

Customers who buy the physical DVD of Warner Brothers’ “Superman Returns” in a Wal-Mart store will have the option of downloading a digital copy of the film to their portable devices for $1.97, personal computer for $2.97, or both for $3.97.

So you buy the DVD, and if you want a copy on your PVP or computer, you have to pay a second time. Despite the fact that you bought the DVD, and you have a DVD drive in your computer that is perfectly capable of making a personal-use copy. Imagine if the record labels offered you this "deal" for every CD you bought -- pay us a few dollars extra, and you can have a copy for your iPod. And a few more dollars, if you want a copy on your computer, too! As LA Times reporter Jon Healey puts it in his blog: "So from the perspective of the studios and federal officials, consumers have to pay for the privilege of doing the sorts of things with DVDs that they're accustomed to doing with CDs (and LPs and cassettes)."

This latest bitter fruit from Hollywood is brought to you by the DMCA, which treats "protected" content (like the encrypted video on DVDs), differently from "unprotected" content (like every audio and video media format introduced before 1996). Thanks to the DMCA, Hollywood believes fair use personal-use copies simply do not exist when it comes to DVDs.

Given that the Copyright Office has refused [PDF, see p. 71-72] to recognize any DMCA exemption for space-shifting, claiming that putting a DVD you own on your iPod "is either infringing, or, even if it were noninfringing, would be merely a convenience," (excuse me, Copyright Office, that's a decision for a court to make) the ball is now in Congress' court. Let's hope Congressman Rick Boucher is listening and will reintroduce his DMCA reform bill first thing next year.

**Blodrast** · 12-06-2006, 18:10

Here's more stuff to get revolted about: let's spell hypocrisy together:

http://techdirt.com/articles/20061204/003837.shtml
RIAA's boss's kids have been downloading unauthorized content... are they gonna be sued ?

After all, the RIAA has been suing parents, considering them liable for their kids' ventures...

Disgusting. And guess what, absolutely nothing will happen, and nothing will change... Of course, justice for all...well, ok, some. Others are above justice.

**Lemur** · 12-06-2006, 05:33

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

I wonder if this is why my computer can see and identify my CD drives but frequently cannot read the disk on the drive itself on the reader, and the CD-RW/DVD-R doesn't work at all... According to that article, the cure is worse than the sickness. Is there any way to get it off without opening your PC up to remote execution?

Since the rootkit only affects Windows, Microsoft has issued a Malicious Software Removal Tool that should scrub your PC of the Sony evil. There are ways to do it manually, but I would not recommend the process to anyone who is not 100% comfortable in regedit.