RealDVD, the DRM-laden, DVD-copying commercial software from the folks who brought you RealPlayer, has been taken out of commission by Hollywood studios. Luckily you already know how to rip full DVDs to your hard drive for free without the nasty DRM, so you should be just fine. [via]
Filed under: Home Entertainment
We knew Hollywood wouldn’t let RealNetworks sell its RealDVD DVD-ripping-and-archiving software without a fight, and right on schedule, six major studios have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent it from being sold. Of course, RealNetworks has been planning on hiding behind that Kaleidescape ruling all along, but straight CSS circumvention isn’t really what’s at the heart of the suit: according to the studios’ request for a restraining order, consumers won’t be able to contain themselves in the face of RealDVD’s voodoo magic and will start ripping rental DVDs en masse — seriously, the suit calls the incentive to do so “all but overwhelming.” Here’s a hint, guys: if you believe the temptation to do something is that strong, it probably means you can get people to pay to do it — and you should probably be working out a business model that embraces consumers instead of funding new BMWs for your lawyers while actual piracy tears down the fragile house of cards your entire industry is built on. Or you know, whatever.
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