DeCSS

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

Re the DVD encryption case mentioned awhile back on liblicense-l. Further
developments, not much at the moment, but there is a site on the web that
makes it all clear:  http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/Gallery/

EFF also discusses the case for and posts briefs.

The case is Universal City Studios et al. v. Reimerdes et al., The
defendant was sued under the DMCA for distributing code that decrypted
DVD/s. The code permits LINUX users to view DVD's, since there is no
commercial linux based dvd reader.

The author of the website has been issued a cease and desist letter from
the MPA. An amicus brief was filed Jan. 23, 2001, and the website was
threatened Feb 5-6 2001.

The Haiku version of the DVD code decryption might interest any
poetry-lovers.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/Gallery/decss-haiku.txt.

(Original version February 12, 2001; minor revisions sent by author on
February 23) Slashdot has called the haiku truly inspired.

The initial lets have a contest and  figure out how best to conceal
distribution of the DVD code is up at 

http://dvd.zgp.org/

And of course our friends at Salon have covered the case as well.

The site exists to ask the question to this question: "If code that can be
directly compiled and executed may be suppressed under the DMCA, as Judge
Kaplan asserts in his preliminary ruling, but a textual description of the
same algorithm may not be suppressed, then where exactly should the line
be drawn? This web site was created to explore this issue, and point out
the absurdity of Judge Kaplan's position that source code can be legally
differentiated from other forms of written expression. "

Hey, do you think we can get sued too for posting a url that takes you
to where the code is posted in various and sundry invidious forms,?? 
The justice department has intervened on the side of MPA...

Chuck Hamaker