Video Piracy--Without The Piracy: Real Networks helping Pirates Rip DVDs - GoFuckYourself.com

PornNewz · 09-10-2008, 11:45 AM

WTF?!?!

"Our message is that this is only for DVDs that you own," Chasen says. "We don't know what you're doing with it. There isn't a mechanism for us to know that."

Gimme a fucking break!

---

If the advent of streaming video and direct downloads hadn't already signaled the impending death of video disc sales, add another nail to the DVD distributor's coffin: a technology that lets anyone copy any DVD--and seems to be perfectly legal.

Real Networks, the maker of the free online media player Real Player, on Monday announced a new program it calls Real DVD, designed to let users legally "rip" a DVD's contents to their computers. The program, which will cost around $50 and becomes public later this month in a $30 trial version, allows any DVD's contents to be pulled from a physical disc to an iTunes-like library on a user's hard drive; the process takes between 10 and 30 minutes.

The goal, says Real Networks Vice President Jeff Chasen, is to do away with space-consuming discs and let users create a backup copy of their video collection. "Our aim is to help people get more out of the DVDs they already own," he says.

But the software is just as likely to help users get more out of DVDs they don't own. A Real DVD user could easily borrow and rip all of a friend's DVDs, or better yet, sign up for Netflix (nasdaq: NFLX - news - people ) and add dozens of movies to his or her digital library every month without purchasing a single disc.

Real Networks' take on that piracy problem? "Our message is that this is only for DVDs that you own," Chasen says. "We don't know what you're doing with it. There isn't a mechanism for us to know that."

That "see no evil" answer isn't likely to please movie studios and other copyright holders. But Real DVD doesn't appear to do anything clearly illegal, says Laurence Pulgram, an attorney with Fenwick and West LLP who defended the file-sharing program Napster (nasdaq: NAPS - news - people ) in its 2001 copyright case. After all, the software doesn't actually break the encryption on DVDs. Instead, it merely copies the encrypted file and uses the same player technology installed in a typical hardware DVD player to read it.

Real DVD also installs a new layer of digital-rights-management (DRM) code on files, blocking users from copying them more than five times to other computers. That, the company argues, will prevent the ripped DVD files from ending up on Bittorrent or other peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.

Those measures allow Real to make a strong argument that it merely allows "fair use" of copying for convenience and backup purposes--not piracy, Pulgram says.

Then again, courts have yet to test the extent of that fair use. "No court has ever held that you're entitled to make one extra copy of a DVD, much less five," Pulgram notes. "But the same is true for ripping a CD, and the industry has never pushed this point."

For morally flexible media consumers, ripping DVDs isn't new: Downloadable programs like Magic DVD Rip Studio and Easy DVD Ripper have long offered the same function. But unlike Real DVD, those programs break the encryption on discs and thus violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's prohibition on circumventing copyright protections.

Real DVD's technique, on the other hand, already has a legal precedent. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Kaleidescape sells a "movie jukebox" that also lets users copy DVDs without breaking encryption, albeit in a device that costs more than $14,000. The DVD Content Control Association, a consortium of media and electronics companies, sued Kaleidescape in 2005. The case was decided in Kaleidescape's favor, though it's currently under appeal.

For Real Networks, offering this sort of barely legal application is an old habit. In April 2007, the company released a version of Real Player capable of recording and storing any YouTube video, potentially allowing users to download copyright-infringing clips before content owners could have them pulled from the user-generated video site. (See "YourTube".)

That tactic didn't pull many new users away from leading competitor Windows Media Player, says Forrester Research (nasdaq: FORR - news - people ) analyst James McQuivey. In fact, most users are now ditching all software media players for streaming video, he says. And as Real Player becomes less relevant, McQuivey says Real Networks is again pushing legal boundaries to gain an audience.

"The movie studios won't be happy about this," he says. "But Real is willing to risk that ire to help their market position."

Brad · 09-10-2008, 12:01 PM

Big deal. you can already get software to do this for you and have been able to for quite some time. Despite this fact, DVD sales continue to flourish...go figure. Not to mention, most people do not watch full movies on their computer and most don't know how to attach their computer to their TV or have the proper TV to do so.

fatfoo · 09-10-2008, 12:06 PM

Real DVD also installs a new layer of digital-rights-management (DRM) code on files, blocking users from copying them more than five times to other computers. That, the company argues, will prevent the ripped DVD files from ending up on Bittorrent or other peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.

That's bullshit! lol

Barefootsies · 09-10-2008, 12:08 PM

cue gideongallery asshat in...

4... 3... 2.....

Libertine · 09-10-2008, 12:10 PM

I'll wait for a pirated copy

Brad · 09-10-2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatfoo

Real DVD also installs a new layer of digital-rights-management (DRM) code on files, blocking users from copying them more than five times to other computers. That, the company argues, will prevent the ripped DVD files from ending up on Bittorrent or other peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.

That's bullshit! lol

The people putting shit up on torrent sites are not going to be using this crap anyways... they are going to use something that removes the encryption. so pretty much just a bunch of useless words for lawyers to jerk off over.

dready · 09-10-2008, 12:14 PM

This is just a last stab attempt by Real to maintain any kind of relevance. Their days have been numbered for years. They just haven't realized it yet.

Sunny · 09-10-2008, 12:16 PM

nice deal

notime · 09-10-2008, 12:59 PM

Bill Gates is right! Get the money where it's at. No use sewing or pursuing poor students doing illegal windows. Go get it from HP, Dell, banks, governments, etc.
Target clients that WANT to pay and not clients that don't.

09-10-2008, 11:45 AM	#1
PornNewz Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 851	Video Piracy--Without The Piracy: Real Networks helping Pirates Rip DVDs WTF?!?! "Our message is that this is only for DVDs that you own," Chasen says. "We don't know what you're doing with it. There isn't a mechanism for us to know that." Gimme a fucking break! --- If the advent of streaming video and direct downloads hadn't already signaled the impending death of video disc sales, add another nail to the DVD distributor's coffin: a technology that lets anyone copy any DVD--and seems to be perfectly legal. Real Networks, the maker of the free online media player Real Player, on Monday announced a new program it calls Real DVD, designed to let users legally "rip" a DVD's contents to their computers. The program, which will cost around $50 and becomes public later this month in a $30 trial version, allows any DVD's contents to be pulled from a physical disc to an iTunes-like library on a user's hard drive; the process takes between 10 and 30 minutes. The goal, says Real Networks Vice President Jeff Chasen, is to do away with space-consuming discs and let users create a backup copy of their video collection. "Our aim is to help people get more out of the DVDs they already own," he says. But the software is just as likely to help users get more out of DVDs they don't own. A Real DVD user could easily borrow and rip all of a friend's DVDs, or better yet, sign up for Netflix (nasdaq: NFLX - news - people ) and add dozens of movies to his or her digital library every month without purchasing a single disc. Real Networks' take on that piracy problem? "Our message is that this is only for DVDs that you own," Chasen says. "We don't know what you're doing with it. There isn't a mechanism for us to know that." That "see no evil" answer isn't likely to please movie studios and other copyright holders. But Real DVD doesn't appear to do anything clearly illegal, says Laurence Pulgram, an attorney with Fenwick and West LLP who defended the file-sharing program Napster (nasdaq: NAPS - news - people ) in its 2001 copyright case. After all, the software doesn't actually break the encryption on DVDs. Instead, it merely copies the encrypted file and uses the same player technology installed in a typical hardware DVD player to read it. Real DVD also installs a new layer of digital-rights-management (DRM) code on files, blocking users from copying them more than five times to other computers. That, the company argues, will prevent the ripped DVD files from ending up on Bittorrent or other peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. Those measures allow Real to make a strong argument that it merely allows "fair use" of copying for convenience and backup purposes--not piracy, Pulgram says. Then again, courts have yet to test the extent of that fair use. "No court has ever held that you're entitled to make one extra copy of a DVD, much less five," Pulgram notes. "But the same is true for ripping a CD, and the industry has never pushed this point." For morally flexible media consumers, ripping DVDs isn't new: Downloadable programs like Magic DVD Rip Studio and Easy DVD Ripper have long offered the same function. But unlike Real DVD, those programs break the encryption on discs and thus violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's prohibition on circumventing copyright protections. Real DVD's technique, on the other hand, already has a legal precedent. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Kaleidescape sells a "movie jukebox" that also lets users copy DVDs without breaking encryption, albeit in a device that costs more than $14,000. The DVD Content Control Association, a consortium of media and electronics companies, sued Kaleidescape in 2005. The case was decided in Kaleidescape's favor, though it's currently under appeal. For Real Networks, offering this sort of barely legal application is an old habit. In April 2007, the company released a version of Real Player capable of recording and storing any YouTube video, potentially allowing users to download copyright-infringing clips before content owners could have them pulled from the user-generated video site. (See "YourTube".) That tactic didn't pull many new users away from leading competitor Windows Media Player, says Forrester Research (nasdaq: FORR - news - people ) analyst James McQuivey. In fact, most users are now ditching all software media players for streaming video, he says. And as Real Player becomes less relevant, McQuivey says Real Networks is again pushing legal boundaries to gain an audience. "The movie studios won't be happy about this," he says. "But Real is willing to risk that ire to help their market position." __________________ Pornnewz.com PR Round up, No one is safe!

09-10-2008, 12:01 PM	#2
Brad Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,510	Big deal. you can already get software to do this for you and have been able to for quite some time. Despite this fact, DVD sales continue to flourish...go figure. Not to mention, most people do not watch full movies on their computer and most don't know how to attach their computer to their TV or have the proper TV to do so. __________________ Affiliate Manager/Media Buyer ICQ 376 978 529 Skype: bradleyjwscott [email protected]

09-10-2008, 12:06 PM	#3
fatfoo ICQ:649699063 Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 27,763	Real DVD also installs a new layer of digital-rights-management (DRM) code on files, blocking users from copying them more than five times to other computers. That, the company argues, will prevent the ripped DVD files from ending up on Bittorrent or other peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. That's bullshit! lol __________________ Send me an email: [email protected]

09-10-2008, 12:08 PM	#4
Barefootsies Choice is an Illusion Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Land of Obama Posts: 42,635	cue gideongallery asshat in... 4... 3... 2..... __________________ Should You Email Your Members? Link1 \| Link2 \| Link3 Enough Said. "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

09-10-2008, 12:10 PM	#5
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	I'll wait for a pirated copy __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

09-10-2008, 12:14 PM	#7
dready Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 5,247	This is just a last stab attempt by Real to maintain any kind of relevance. Their days have been numbered for years. They just haven't realized it yet. __________________ ICQ: 91139591

09-10-2008, 12:16 PM	#8
Sunny Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,981	nice deal __________________ >>>>>>>>>>Offering Quality PR Hardlinks<<<<<<<<<< 1- 50 PR Homepage Adult Links 2- Lifetime Featured & Regular Listings in 25 PR Adult Directories 3- Lifetime Unique, Quality & Copyscape Passed Blogpostings in 25 PR Adult Blogs Contact Me!!! ICQ: 199-024-695

09-10-2008, 12:59 PM	#9
notime Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: cyberspace Posts: 8,021	Bill Gates is right! Get the money where it's at. No use sewing or pursuing poor students doing illegal windows. Go get it from HP, Dell, banks, governments, etc. Target clients that WANT to pay and not clients that don't.