Six major movie studios have questioned the legalities of RealDVD, a software programs which allows you to rip your DVD collection right to any PC.
Well that was certainly quick. Less than a week ago, RealNetworks announced its RealDVD DVD-ripping software. About 24 hours later, they received news that six movie studios were suing to stop those software sales.
The studios have won, it seems—at least temporarily. According to Electronista, a judge has put a temporary ban on sales of RealDVD, until they can figure things out. Apparently, that will take at least until Tuesday, when the temporary ban may be lifted or made permanent, depending on what the judge decides.
Although it’s a setback, Real does have one small victory under its belt: They did have the case moved from a Central District court to a Northern District of California court. They wanted to move away from where the studios operate, in order to receive a fair trial.
Did you snag a copy of RealDVD before it went bye-bye? Post your thoughts about the product in the comments section below.
I was going to buy it damn the studios! Does it work well?
Sorry, forgot to add that while the software may be legal to sell outside of the USA, I could still be prosecuted for using/ bringing any of this software into the US.
Case in point: US border officials can seize Ipods/laptops and other digital storage devices if they suspect that there may be illegally copied / pirated material on them. There is no onus of proof required here.... they can just take it. It’s up to the person that had their equipment taken to prove them wrong.
With the amount of time I spend travelling to the US for work, I don’t need the rubber glove treatment, or any of my electronics apprehended. Even though it might not be illegal to use a ripper outside of the US, I’d rather not have it happen. I like having a bunch of movies on my laptop so I don’t have to pay airline or hotel prices for movies, or carry DVD’s with me.
True. I don’t want to take a chance on breaking the law inadvertantly. A ‘ripping’ program removes DRM, or at the very least cracks it to copy it. This may or may not be against the law depending on the country you live in. Real DVD does not remove any DRM and copies the disc bit for bit, all DRM included without breaking it.
I’m certainly not saying that we should not be able to back up DVD’s for our own use, (as I’m obviously doing it anyway) I am just saying that I’d like a program that the courts rule is legal, so we can put all of this fair use stuff behind us. (well at least for DVD’s)
Much Ado About Nothing!
There are currently several riping programs available that will allow you back up your DVDs. Most are sold outside the U.S.A. where the laws do not apply. The region code on a DVD helps sell them as it will remove the code and allow you to view any purchased DVD from anywhere in the world on your NTSC/PAL player.
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You can still use the key if you wanted to lend it to someone you dumb F. U. C. K.… 
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Hollywood needs to embrace a method for storing movies on a media server. They have already removed “managed copy” from Blu-Ray, opting instead for low res portable copies on some discs. The solution that Real was promoting was by far the safest scenario yet, and would prevent widespread internet sharing AND would prevent sales of copied discs. In the absence of a sanctioned solution, people will continue to “break the law” and rip their DVDs and Blu-Ray discs to servers with free gray market tools. Surely a solution like Real’s is a better scenario.