Is it true that CSS prevents the unauthorized copying of DVDs?
No, CSS does not prevent the unauthorized copying of DVDs. In various public statements CSS has been referred to as copy protection, access control, and some times simply a “protection system” without stating what is protected. The claim which is most often repeated is that “CSS prevents movies from being illegally duplicated,” or some variation on that wording. There is a great deal of rhetoric circulating in response to this question, but two basic points serve to set the stage for this discussion: 1. In court, the plaintiffs in the NY and CT lawsuits do not allege that unauthorized copying has occurred, nor do they allege trafficking in a device to permit unauthorized copying. 2. The movies on DVDs have been published. Nothing can change the basic fact that at some point people get to watch the movie on the disk. If people are so inclined, they can copy the movie at that point. In regard to the first item above, the plaintiffs (collectively the MPAA), are suing for alleged violation
Related Questions
- Is it required to use HDCP when playing standard DVDs that are protected with CSS over an HDMI interface? Does the requirement change if the signal is up-converted to HD format?
- Besides region coding and CSS, what other "protections" are used on DVDs?
- Is it true that CSS prevents the unauthorized copying of DVDs?
