MPAA vs. 2600

D

dexter

ROOT
Registered Senior Member
i knwo this is old news, i just wants to hear all of your opinions.

the MPAA has been attacking 2600 for suppling information on dvd technology withn a linux machine. they supplied programs to play dvd's on a linux machine. appearentally the mpaa didnt liek that, and sue'd. 2600 didnt do anything but supply information. it was a freedom of speach act.

-dexter

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Dex,

What they did for Linux was very nice for the community, but very nasty from a business point of view. More importantly, what they did was not merely an act of free speech. In effect, they took a reverse-engineered design for a product (which was supposed to be secret) -- and published it for the whole world to see. Not only did they directly undercut the business interests behind the DVD technology, but they also failed to license that technology before distributing their own version of it; in other words, they infringed on patents. Essentially, to sum it up, they engaged in illegal economic warfare against the DVD consortium.

Many argue that "information wants to be free", but somehow they always make an exception when it comes to their credit card numbers or their secret communications with an extracurricular lover, for example. So that is why such claims are ultimately hypocritical and ridiculous. Information can be declared private, and its authors always have a legally enforcible right to keep it that way (unless the information was produced under an overriding contract.)

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I am; therefore I think.
 
I think Linux is pretty cool! But I really think that the blanket should have been dropped! After all, Snoopy has a dog house, but all Linux has is a smelly old blanket........speaking.....& Lucy.......ewhphew.....hmmmmmmm.....

[This message has been edited by JEHOVAH (edited February 09, 2001).]
 
though i mainly agree with 2600, i can see were the MPAA ias comming from. all 2600 wanted was too be able to play dvd's on a linux machine, casue that is what *nix is all about, freedom. you can d'load linux for free, you can get allt he programs for free. they jsut wrote a program, the program did not copy dvd's, it jsut let someone watch it ont here machine. once you buy something, it shoudl be yours. no matter what, you should evan be able to copy it, though resale is another thing, but if you wished to copy it, and have a extra copy so u dont ahve to buy nanother on each time you lost it.
t he MPAA basicaly said, that you were only renting the dvd like payper view, and you are not allowed to watch it except if you are using one of their porducts.

off the subject, i am guessing you run linux yourself, if you dont mind me asking, what distro???
 
The MPAA is a racket. Does anyone here not know this? I mean, Disney, comfortable in its "family-oriented" image, pushes the envelope. Angus alone rewrote the standard for PG-13 films.

Did you know that, once upon a time, if the adultress, robber, or otherwise antagonistic character did not die at the end of the film, or go to prison for life, the film was not released?

MPAA ratings are arbitrary, and always have been. This only comes into question when you're walking close to the line, but once into that zone, start greasing palms with C-notes. And never make a first-rate, stomach-wrenching documentary about the European porn industry. In Roman Polanski's case, it has proven detrimental to the release of later films in the US.

If it can be shown that there are legitimate reasons for not wanting DVD on Linux, fine. But it would seem to me that this reminds me of the Visa credit-card scandal. Remember that in the American economy, paying off your debts quickly is bad for the economy. Why else was it so hard to drag Visa to court for buying off retailers: don't take Amex or we at Visa will not honor charges made at your store against our credit. Visa, Amex, Visa, Amex. Hmmm ... there's more Visa users, and it's up to Visa to collect the debts.

Windows/Linux .... I mean, when DVD's become the standard transportable video media, will history show that Linux was locked out to secure the necessity of Microsoft? Sure, I like having Microsoft just across town, but it's not like they make much effort to hide some of their more sinister practices.

The answer to what's up with Linux and DVD lies more in future commercial considerations than anything else.

thanx,
Tiassa :cool:

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No, don't seek control, and the milk of heaven will flow. Why would you want to keep it from anyone? (Floater)
 
Stop the MPAA...

old news.... but its not to late..... to STOP THE MPAA!!!

The MPAA has does not and should not have the control on how their consumers view their products. The MPAA is upset because they do not want DVD's playable on Linux boxes.

Of course the MPAA isn't going to want linux users to be able to view it. Because DVD pirating will increase. It would increase anywhere on any operating system.

It would increase if when someone figured out how to play DVDs on BeOS, on MACs (which DVDs are alllowed to be played on) on Windows (which has been aroudn but not illegal. only on linux, bad leanux users! bad!)
It's going to increase anytime a computer enthusast discovers how to play their dvds on their own operating system. Where ever there is a technology, there are those who are going to abuse it or try to get pass the system for their own personal gain.

Soo.... now only the Windows users and MAC users can view their DVDSs on their computers. NOT FAIR.

Despite the MPAA making this a federal offense to even view your DVDs on a linux its going to happen, whether they like it or not.

Pirarting DVDs on linux woud happen but it happens on Windows right now also. If not more on the Windows O.S. If that Judge is going to make it a crime to view your DVDs on one box then it should be illegal to view your dvds on every machine.

www.2600.com
 
I don't think it's an issue of disallowing Linux users in particular to play DVD movies (notice that does not prevent Linux users from using DVDs as a storage medium.) The issue, I understand, is that the software in question did not pay for the license. DVD is a private technology. If it was public-domain, then things would be different. Think of it this way: software piracy occurs no matter what, but software makers still expend efforts to at least curb it. Why should we expect anything less from the DVD consortium?

On the other hand, at some point in the future the DVD may become so pervasive and essential, that the government could simply, I believe, choose to invoke a right of eminent domain over it and regulate the DVD industry as a utility provider...

An even better solution would be to design and standardize a public movie & sound format. Then anyone could write software that works with compliant media, and the popularity of the "open-source" format could well spell the end of the proprietary movie DVD.
 
lets all drink to open source :)

wat was the big crime in creating the software that could play dvd's?? i mean, they are buying the dvd's, isnt that enough? they bought the dvd player, now the dont have any s'ware to play it on, so they write there own, then mr. MPAA gets angry.

its a free country, let it be free!!!!
 
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