[KLUG Members] Movies? Weird!!!

[Robert G. Brown]

>>It is illegal to play most DVDs on Linux.
>How do you know this?
>That statement seems a bit extreme.
It is a mis-statement, in the sense that it is shorthand for what is
really going on. If we all understand those details, swell.  As written,
it implied that there is a satute that states that the use of DVD's 
(with certain conditions) on Linux violates the stature.

In reality, no such clause exists. What is really meant by this is that
the LICENCE is violated when certain DVDs ae used in conjunction with 
implementations of retrieval that are not [also] Licenced or sactioned
by the licensor. THere is [most probably] no explicit mention of Linux
or any other particular facility that might be an element of a retreival
implementation.

>Is that to say that it is NOT illegal to play most DVDs on Windows? ... Why?
>What is the reasoning behind such laws?
See above. No such laws. There are (I suspect) Licenced retreival 
implementation for other platforms.. Windows is (probably) one of them.

>> At least without a hardware decoder,
>> and those aren't very common.
And they are licenced, or they are also in violation.

>The people who sell DVD-ROM drives are not advertizing this very much
People who sell hardware are primarily interested in replacing their inventory 
with cash, because every day one holds onto hardware that is not being used 
represents a risk. The stuff is going to be more of a commodity very soon, 
like in about 20 minures...so they want to move it, now. Stating more 
restrictive terms of use do not help this process, so they don't.

Also, as "TheBS" pointed out, we're talking about CIVIL proceedings here. 
While it's true that the DMCA makes some of these civil violations actual
*criminal* acts, it is largely untested. Anyone pressing a criminal complaint
in good faith would be very wise to take care, lest untested portions of the 
law run afould of the courts, precedent, other IP law, or the Constitution.

I susepct this is why there has been much smoke about the DMCA, but very
little fire. The Elcomsoft case has been the exception that proves this rule.

                                                        Regards,
                                                        ---> RGB <---