What is the DVD Content Scramble System (CSS) and how does it work?
CSS is the copy protection system adopted by the motion picture industry and consumer electronics manufacturers to provide security to copyrighted content of DVDs and to prevent unauthorized copying of that content. CSS is akin to the lock on your house. Um, no. The metaphor they use, “the lock on your house,” is flawed. You see, the CSS system is much more like if you get a key to your place of work that says, “Do not duplicate” on it. You can make as many keys to open the door to your house as you want, the reason why you can’t do so to your place of work is that you don’t own the office where you work. As the MPAA admits in a later question, CSS does nothing to prevent copying, it only prevents access to content. So, basically it is only like a key to your house if the person who sells you the house keeps the keys, forbids you from making your own keys, and will let you through the front door to use your house only when he wants to and under his conditions. I wouldn’t buy a house un
CSS is the copy protection system adopted by the motion picture industry and consumer electronics manufacturers to provide security to copyrighted content of DVDs and to prevent unauthorized copying of that content. CSS is akin to the lock on your house. Anticipating what digital technology meant for anti piracy efforts, the film industry relied on the security provided by CSS in manufacturing, producing and distributing to the public copyrighted motion pictures in DVD format. Those motion pictures, many of which involved investments of tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars, were distributed on CSS-protected DVDs. CSS allows consumers to enjoy the benefits of digital entertainment because the motion picture industry is able to issue their films on DVD while at the same time preventing massive piracy of their copyrighted works. De-encryption destroys this protection, which is why distribution of de-encryption devices were formally prohibited in the Digital Millennium Copyright A
