[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [dvd-discuss] Fwd: Australian Court rules: Films aren't software



> >Outrageous excerpt:
> >In addition to claiming that a video on DVD is actually software,
> >rather than a movie, Warner tried to convince the court that simply
> >playing a DVD movie should be considered an act of "copying":
> >
> >"Warner said a person playing the DVD was actually making a copy of the
film
> >because images and sound from DVD films were stored in the random access
> >memory (RAM) of a computer or a computer contained within a DVD player."
> >

The importance of this arguement is that it is illegal in australia to rent
an article of software without the explicit permission of the copyright
holder. This was bad for the hire companies as two versions of DVDs were
released simultaneously. Warner threatened to sue anyone renting the home
versions. the association countersued to define DVD-Video as a movie under
copyright law. (Interestingly if the courts ruled against the association
then they could gain some additional rights granted for only software)

Photons have mass!? I didn't even know they were Catholic...

----- Original Message -----
From: "Arnold G. Reinhold" <reinhold@world.std.com>
To: <dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 1:37 AM
Subject: [dvd-discuss] Fwd: Australian Court rules: Films aren't software