On Tue, 11 Jan 2000, Edward Dekkers wrote:
> > yes, they can, since decss has *nothing* to do with copying dvds, it
> > has to do with *playing* dvds. nothing more.
> >
> > check out opendvd.org for more info.
>
> ????
>
> OK, now I'm lost. With DeCSS I can decrypt an entire movie to my hard disk,
> then watch it. OK, but what is to stop me from writing it back to another
> removable or non-removable media and watching it from there?
>
> Does this NOT constitute copying?
you certainly don't need to "decrypt" a dvd disk to a hard drive in
order to copy it. there already existed technology to "copy" dvds simply
by doing a bit-for-bit copy, with no understanding of what those bits
actually meant. so decss did not introduce any potentially illegal
behavior that did not already exist.
as an analogy, if i gave you a book written in, say, sanskrit, you may
not have a clue what it means. but you could, if i provided you with
a pen and blank journal, make a copy of that book simply by mindlessly
tracing the character strokes. see the analogy? copying a dvd disk
works exactly the same way -- copy the bits.
what decss provides is a way to "decipher" the bits so that you can
actually play the disk. in other words, you now have the ability
to play, perfectly legally, a dvd disk that you own. nothing illegal
about that. the powers-that-be that control dvd are pissed about this
because they would like to control the players market. this controversy
has nothing whatever to do with copying dvds -- it has to do with your
freedom to play a dvd disk that you own, any way you want. it's a matter
of freedom, plain and simple.
rday
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