Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (3959 mails)

[Rich Buckner <rbuckner@xxxxxxx>]

On Thursday 02 January 2003 11:23 pm, Marino Fernandez wrote:
> > I've had the same problem with Xine. It says Xine
> > doesn't and will never
> > play encrypted dvd's, because it's illegal.
>
> What is illegal is playing encrypted DVD using and
> open source algorythm (according to the Digital
> Millenium Copyright Act)... because the decryption
> program is open source... anybody can look at the
> algorithm (CSS) and crack it... defeating the purpose
> of encrypting the file (what ever that is). People
> cracked the CSS algorithm anyway and came up with
> deCSS; but this program is not legal... this is the
> illegal part.
>
> Any program in linux that plays encrypted DVD has that
> decrypting program (deCSS)... It does not matter if it
> is Ogle or Mplayer or Xine... if it uses decss (or
> however you want to call it) is illegal...
>
[snip]
> And Oguz, if your Mplayer plays encrypted DVD, is
> already illegal in the USA... so watch out, John
> Ashcroft already wants your butt!!
>
 No offense, but you're wrong.  It is not illegal to play encrypted DVDs ore 
is is illegal to own or use a player that will do so.  What MAY be illegal is 
to distribute to the public software that will allow or facilitate decrypting 
DVDs (as in posting decrypting software to your website or linking to it).  
You can download software that will allow you to play encrypted DVDs, and you 
can develop and use such software yourself so long as you don't distribute it 
or profit financially from it.
-- 
Rich