Originally posted by stang112: Any program which copies DVD's is illegal in the U.S., but this specific question has never been touched upon and I cant find the answer anywhere:
IS IT ILLEGAL TO OFFER SOFTWARE ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR SALE THAT COPIES / BREAKS DVD ENCRYPTION ON DVD's?
**Considering the server is also located in the United States.**
Thanks for the help!
That was covered some time ago. The 321 Studios with XCopy was the test case. The law of the land is that software meant to break copy protection is illegal (free or for sale) in the US. With international treaties and joint agreements on copy protection, the decryption software is illegal in most countries. The law is that you can't make it, sell it, or give it away on your website.
The law hinges on digital copy protection. If the DVD isn't protected, you can copy as needed. I have only one older movie DVD factory free from digital copy protection. At least it was bought in a store and looks like a factory DVD. But getting back to the question. If a DVD is digitally protected, that means you would have to break the protection to copy it. So the law covers digital copy protection and by doing so it also eliminates the ability to copy protected DVDs, which was the purpose. The 321 case also covered sales and/or supply of the illegal software.
One thing I find interesting. DVD Shrink is still available by download from AD and it incorporates decryption software, though obsolete. DVD Decrypter, DVDFab HD Decrypter, and other programs for decryption have to be found elsewhere. Guess the Finnish government isn't interested in busting sites for software that can't break a lot of the new movies by itself.
Yes, any digital protection is illegal to remove. Macrovision, Arccos, Puppetlock, anything that works with a digital format to prevent copying is illegal to tamper with.
Is Macrovision not an analogue system - I mean I purchased my Optex video 'stabilizer' from Radio Shack (fifteen years ago) - but in any case I live in Canada so it may not apply.
The concept is pretty straight forward. Put copy protection on a digital format and you have digital copy protection. It's illegal to bypass it in most countries.
Macrovision has been around for a while. They do both analog and digital protection. Macrovision is a company name that sometimes gets connected to its programs. Check out the website for a better understanding.
