Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled that multimedia software company RealNetworks, purveyors of the RealPlayer media player, can no longer distribute the program RealDVD, which lets users rip and back up their DVD content. The Motion Picture Association of American originally brought the suit about a year ago.
The ruling said that RealNetworks violated U.S. copyright laws by selling the product. Patel's ruling didn't condemn users, only the company. It's legal for users to rip and possess copied DVDs, but it's illegal to produce a program that does it.
"While it may well be fair use for an individual consumer to store a backup copy of a personally-owned DVD on that individual's computer, a federal law has nonetheless made it illegal to manufacture or traffic in a device or tool that permits a consumer to make such copies," the ruling read.
Anti-piracy advocates may applaud the ruling, but tech analyst Brennon Slattery noted that RealDVD wasn't made for mass-ripping DVDs. It only let users rip and store one copy of a movie on their hard drive, and if users wanted to save additional copies elsewhere, they would have to pay a fee.
"It's perfectly legal to rip music from a CD and upload it onto an iPod for personal use," Slattery said. "Why can't a person do the same with their own copies of movies? The assumption is that everyone using a program such as RealDVD is a criminal bent on ripping as many Netflix movies as possible, rather than a law-abiding citizen who simply wants to watch flicks on the go."
But that's not how the MPAA saw it.
Dan Glickman, the head of the MPAA, hailed the verdict. "We are very pleased with the court's decision," MPAA chieftain Dan Glickman said. "This is a victory for the creators and producers of motion pictures and television shows, and for the rule of law in our digital economy."