The illegality of playing DVDs on Linux

[Benjamin Scott]

[aggregate reply to multiple people]

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 11:27 AM, Chip Marshall <chip at 2bithacker.net> wrote:
>> I wonder if someone could buy a license for a FOSS
>> project?
>
> I did a bunch of research on this about a decade ago (hard to
> believe its been that long already) and I seem to recall that
> because the algorithm protecting DVDs was so weak, the CCA would
> not grant licenses to open source projects, since it would expose
> the system.

  Oh, that's a good point.  I was thinking just of the patent
encumbered stuff, i.e., codecs and the like.  I briefly forgot about
the copy restriction stuff (wishful thinking, I guess).  Even if they
would be willing to grant a license to something that could be used by
a potentially unlimited number of people, the CSS license requires you
to protect the content downstream of you (i.e., making sure the output
device is copy restricted).  That can't happen in a FOSS project.

> 10 years later and everyone and their brother knowing how to
> crack DVD CSS, it might be more feasible, but I still doubt
> they would sell a license to anything other than a closed
> source product.

  Yah, I actually sought out and read the CCA CSS license terms last
week, and they're just as absurd as they ever were.  For example, if
you're an implementer, the studios can require you to let someone
audit your stuff, and force you to cease distribution if they don't
like what they find.

-- Ben