Re: [dvd-discuss] Legitimizing DeCSS

["Steve Hosgood" <steve(at)caederus.com>]

Joshua Stratton writes:
> One of the problems we've been having is that our attempts to show that 
> DeCSS has legitimate uses that take it out of the realm of pirate cable 
> descramblers, and into the realm of xerox machines.
>

Hey - someone kick this guy off the list. How dare he talk about DVD things
on DVD-discuss. Oh, wait...... :-)

> Well, what if we forced the issue with a novel use of DeCSS; one well 
> outside of the realm of video piracy?
>
> I propose [...] 'Pretty Crappy Privacy.'
>

1) Not sure anyone would be bothered to use known-broken crypto.
2) There already is a use of deCSS that's got nothing to do with video
   piracy, i.e DVD players for linux. Of which there are quite a few.

Trouble is that the only way to force the issue is for one or more of the
major players in the linux marketing world (Debian, Suse, RedHat etc) to
dare to include one of those DVD players as part of their standard
distribution.

I can't see them risking it somehow. Maybe Suse (being German and thus
outside the immediate DMCA jurisdiction) would be the most likely to try,
but I still doubt it. Labels like "complete with DVD player software" aren't
going to increase sales enough to merit the potential trouble that the
MPAA/DVDCCA would stir up.

--

Steve Hosgood                               |
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Phone: +44 1792 203707 + ask for Steve      |   than a perfect plan tomorrow"
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