RealNetworks CEO Testifies in RealDVD Disc-Copying Case

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 29, 2009 - 8:18am.

San Francisco - The CEO of RealNetworks (NASD: RNWK) testified in federal court on Tuesday that his company's RealDVD disc-copying software does not facilitate piracy, and that consumers have a legal right to back-up their movie collections, according to published reports. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) sued the company for copyright infringement and violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, arguing that the $30 software circumvents the CSS encryption on DVD discs.

The MPAA contends that consumers have no right to make copies of DVDs, even for personal use.

A federal judge agreed to a temporary injunction against the distribution of RealDVD.

"Our product is not designed for somebody who is willing to pirate," Glaser told the court, according to Wired.com's coverage, noting that the company adds an extra layer of security that prevents multiple duplications.

"Customers that don't like those limitations aren't our target market and we don't have the best product for them."

Glaser did acknowledge that the software could not determine whether a user owned the DVD being copied, or if it was rented from Netflix or elsewhere.

Glaser also demonstrated "Facet," a prototype DVD player device RealNetworks is developing that features a hard drive which automatically copies and stores DVDs, CNET reported.

The device is similar to the Kaleidescape, a $10,000 DVD storage hard drive whose makers were also sued by the MPAA.

Kaleidescape won in court in 2007; that ruling is still under appeal.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10229768-93.html

http://snipurl.com/h0p4k (DMW previous coverage)

http://snipurl.com/h0p2d (DMW previous coverage)