[Seth-Trips] We won Bunner (again!) [wild@eff.org: [E-S] EFF: DVD Descrambling Code Not a Trade Secret]

[Seth David Schoen]

Let's have another Bunner party!

----- Forwarded message from Will Doherty <wild at eff.org> -----

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 13:27:35 -0800
From: Will Doherty <wild at eff.org>
Subject: [E-S] EFF: DVD Descrambling Code Not a Trade Secret

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Advisory

For Immediate Release: Thursday, January 22, 2004


Contact:

Cindy Cohn
  Legal Director
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  cindy at eff.org
  +1 415 436-9333 x108 (office), +1 415 307-2148 (cell)

Gwen Hinze
  Staff Attorney
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  gwen at eff.org
  +1 415 436-9333 x110 (office)


DVD Descrambling Code Not a Trade Secret

DVD CCA Surrenders in Bunner DVD Descrambling Case

San Jose, California - In a surprising retreat today, the
consortium of entertainment and technology companies known
as DVD CCA is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit against Andrew
Bunner, a republisher of a computer program created to allow
movie lovers to play their DVDs on computers running the
Linux operating system.

DVD CCA effectively gave up a multi-year effort to have the
republication of the program, called DeCSS, declared a
violation of trade secret laws.

"DeCSS has been available on hundreds if not thousands of
websites for 4 years now," said EFF Legal Director Cindy
Cohn. "We're pleased that the DVD CCA has finally stopped
attempting to deny the obvious: DeCSS is not a secret."

The California Supreme Court last year ruled that one could
apply preliminary restraint on publication of a computer
program only in very narrow circumstances. DVD CCA sued
Bunner along with hundreds of people, including some T-shirt
manufacturers.

For this advisory:
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/DVDCCA_case/20040122_eff_pr.php

DVD CCA v. Bunner case archive:
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/DVDCCA_case/


About EFF:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at
http://www.eff.org/

                           -end-





----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Seth David Schoen <schoen at loyalty.org> | Very frankly, I am opposed to people
     http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/   | being programmed by others.
     http://vitanuova.loyalty.org/     |     -- Fred Rogers (1928-2003),
                                       |        464 U.S. 417, 445 (1984)