Seven major movie studies sue maker of DVD backup copy software
Source: Silicon Valley
Hollywood fought back against the makers of DVD movie copying software Thursday, countersuing the Missouri-based company for allegedly trafficking the tools of digital theft.
Seven major motion picture studios filed the counterclaim in federal court against 321 Studios, the makers of DVD Copy Plus and DVD X Copy. The company is based in Chesterfield, a St. Louis suburb.
The software sold at stores nationwide allows the user to make a copy of a DVD to a blank CD or DVD by defeating the copy protections encoded onto the original movie disc - activity the studios say is a legal no-no.
The movie studios say the software contains the power of digital piracy, and asked the court to enjoin 321 Studios from selling it or distributing it further. The studios also seek damages from any proceeds derived from the company's software sales.
"It's like somebody selling a digital crowbar. It's like breaking into the castle if you will," said Patricia Benson, an attorney for the studios.
When 321 Studios' first product - DVD Copy Plus - came out and the company sought a declaration that it did not violate federal law, Hollywood shrugged and the company sought to have the case dismissed.
DVD Copy Plus copies DVD movies to blank CDs, though in a compressed video format.
But with the advent of 321 Studios latest offering - DVD X Copy - the stakes are a little higher. The software allows the user to burn an exact copy of the original DVD to a blank DVD, without any diminished quality or "lossy" compression.
