Legal action closes DVD-copy firm
 

A US software firm which developed a program to copy PC games and DVDs has collapsed after repeated legal action from film and software bodies.
321 Studios said that despite "best efforts", three federal court rulings against it had killed off the firm.

The company had defended its program, saying it was meant to let people innocently back-up DVDs and games.

But the US movie industry and games makers argued it infringed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

In a statement on its website, 321 Studios said: "The employees and those associated with 321 Studios sincerely appreciate your support of our company and products over the last couple of years."

Big battle

Its programs, DVD X Copy and Games X Copy, worked by getting around copy protection codes.

Games giants Atari, Electronic Arts, and Vivendi Universal Games were among those who joined in the battle against the company, arguing its programs broke copyright laws.

Warner Home Video UK had also said the software breached EU anti-piracy laws, specifically the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003, which came into force in the UK at the end of October 2003.

A film industry group that oversees copy protection technology of film DVDs, the DVD Copy Control Association, had also filed a claim that the software infringed its patents.

They all argued that the copying of DVDs and games boosted piracy of their products.

But Robert Moore, co-founder of 321, had always argued it was defending customers' digital rights to make copies for personal use.

Earlier in the year, federal judges in New York and California had barred 321 from marketing the DVD-cloning software.

And last Thursday, a New York federal judge placed a global ban on its Games X Copy software.

In a separate move, an alliance of US media giants, including Disney, IBM, Microsoft and Warner Bros, announced they were developing content protection technology ready for licensing later this year.

It would allow users to make legal copies of DVDs for use on portable players.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3535692.stm

Yeah, that will help. I read somewhere that they were going to give away the software for free in case they couldn't win all the court cases.

MPAA is trying to put the Genie back into the bottle. Good luck with that. DVD X Copy was actually one of the lamer one click dvd backup softwares around. Now there are even dual layer burners and media out, so all the dvds on the market right now are subject to being copied on a 1:1 100% identical manner. Verbatim's CEO was quoted as saying that the dual layer media should drop to about a $1 a disc by the end of 2005.

If it's digital it can be copied and they will never be able to stop it, It really is that easy...

What ? And I spetn 3 hours trying to crack it 2 weeks ago

I have the program- it wont even let you make a copy of a copy.
While not foolproof, it does show a good faith effort to limit replication

so I wonder when all these fucktards are going to sue to remove the RECORD button off of old VCRs...


and remove the RECORD button off of old cassette players...


ooooo, better take the RECORD button off of those video players, someone MIGHT just setup and record some live NFL game or a TV show with it....

YOU KNOW THE NEXT STEP???


getting in and banning programs like DC++ etc. they are going to overwrite bill clintons free speech internet thingie.. they are going to overwrite it and kill you

DVD Shrink is free and works great. use this with Nero. all you need to backup your DVDs.

Excatly

Fuckin' law, let us copy those fuckin' CD in peace! damn...

Using it now at this instant :thumbsup

Blah oh well there will always be other programs

Does anyone knows how Sony record their games on PS2 DVDs that they cannot be copied? Dual layer DVDs? Special software or specifical type of DVDs?

If you make you should be able to protect it from the masses making ilegal copies, the hacks will always find a way. :glugglug

HEH lol :1orglaugh