Regarding Finland CSS News

[setarip_old]

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1007447#post1007447

I see no mention of Macrovision, which appears on virtually every DVD that has CSS.

I wonder if Macrovision is considered to be "effective copy protection", or "copy protection" at all. If it is, this court ruling may mean little, if anything...

[Doom9]

the case was about CSS, not Macrovision. Any halfway competent electrical engineer can build you a box to strip Macrovision from an analog signal, and anybody with minimum programming skills and access to the DVD specs can write you a software to remove the Macrovision flag from a DVD. Hence, from a technical perspective, Macrovision is even worse than CSS.

[setarip_old]

the case was about CSS, not Macrovision.I'm fully aware of that. You have not understood my posting.

If people think the Court's finding means they can now make copies of all older DVDs that don't contain "ARccOS", "RipGuard", or other newer copy protections, I was wondering if they'll be told, "No you can't, because those DVDs also contain Macrovision, which has not [yet] been ruled "Ineffective copy protection"...

[Doom9]

If you make a digital copy, how would Macrovision affect you? It doesn't so your point is completely moot unless you're talking about analog copies.

[Latexxx]

But ripping dvds don't require you to remove or circumvent macrovision as it's only one flag on the disc.

[setarip_old]

http://www.doom9.nl/index.html?/dvddec-options.htm

Remove Macrovision Protection will remove the Macrovision flag of the VOBs. This may come in handy if you are going to rip and then play the movie from your HD

If I remember correctly, you must turn off Macrovision if you're converting to .AVI...

[Doom9]

If I remember correctly, you must turn off Macrovision if you're converting to .AVI...this is incorrect. The only scenario where the Macrovision flag comes into play is playing a VOB via a CSS authorized player which activates Macrovision on any TV output during playback of content that has this flag set. Even if you play a DVD on your PC connected via VGA, Macrovision has no influence and the flag gets lost as soon as you convert the DVD to something else

[setarip_old]

Then perhaps you can refresh my (aged/aging) memory as to why, when DVD Decrypter first came out, it was indicated that it was necessary to have DVD Decrypter "turn off" Macrovision when ripping any DVD...

[CWR03]

I don't recall it ever having been "necessary."

http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/dvddec-options.htm

It should only be necessary to remove it if one plans to make a videotape copy of the disk, or one uses a VCR as a converter to go from an RCA video out on a computer to a TV that has only a 75-ohm cable input. I used to myself.

[setarip_old]

one uses a VCR as a converter to go from an RCA video out on a computer to a TV that has only a 75-ohm cable input.That may very well have been the scenario back then.

Thanks for refreshing my memory ;>}

[itchione]

For those in the EU, the interesting issue with this case may be that any protection measures (whether in the digital or analogue world) becomes mute once it fails to "achieves the protection objective" (presumably) on a mass scale.

At the moment, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that a mass distribution of knowledge and tools to circumvent protection measures (although illegal in itself) results in the use of such knowledge or tools to no longer be illegal in itself once a critical mass is reached :)
This is far reaching and for this reason i would be very surprised if it is not appealed and the guys eventually found guilty.

I can only hope that the original intent of copyright laws, which granted a limited time monopoly right (with a return of the copyrighted works to society at large once expired) makes its way back into our laws.

And this is why the term 'theft' is wrong when related to copyrighted works, as you have not stolen the rights granted by society but rather you have infringed on the rights holders' monopoly.

Cheers, Itchione