Re: [dvd-discuss] Geeks in government: A good idea?

[Ken Arromdee <arromdee(at)rahul.net>]

On Fri, 16 Aug 2002, Tom wrote:
> > look at things not done by individuals, there's been a huge effect; for
> > instance, you just can't walk to the store and buy a region-free,
> > Macrovision-free, DVD player.  If it weren't for the law, you could.
> I doubt that very much. There is no law propping up CSS in europe or
> asia. Nevertheless, they sell CSS-crippled players here. Remember the
> WIPO paper: It's a three-pronged approach and the law is only one of
> them. What keeps the electronics industry in line is the
> cross-industrial licensing scheme they set up. Selling region-free
> players would almost certainly be perfectly legal in europe, japan,
> asia - essentially everywhere except the US. However, by doing so you
> risk not getting a license for CSS anymore (required for the US market)
> or losing the right to use the DVD logo (big marketing loss) and
> possibly other stuff, too. I stopped unravelling that intangible web
> when it made me sick.

You've answered your own objection.

The inability to manufacture such players in Europe is a consequence of the
laws in the US--companies who need the license to enter the US market are
forced to conform in Europe.  It's still an effect of the law, even if it's
a little indirect.

There are also patent problems with making unlicensed DVD players, IIRC,
but patent laws are laws too.