[mythtv-users] mythtv-users Digest, Vol 49, Issue 161
DM - MythTV
mythtv at tazman.net
Mon Apr 30 18:35:28 UTC 2007
Tim Gray wrote:
> I simply ask a simple question about the new HDMI and DVI capture cards out
> there and get read the riot act for a simple comment.
>
Easy there... I don't want to speak for Mike or the other MythTV
developers, but IMO given the current environment regarding reverse
engineering hardware and software, it makes sense to publicly reiterate
that the majority of the open source community does not condone illegal
actions. Whether or not a particular circumstance resulting in extra
functionality from a cable card is illegal or not cannot be determined
from what was written (in either message). The term "crack" has a
negative legal connotation however (regardless of how it was meant) and
that warrants the statement IMO. Standing (and standing publicly)
against illegal actions, regardless of your opinion of the wisdom of the
legislation, is in the best interest of the MythTV project and the open
source community as a whole in order to prevent having to fight legal
battles from the defensive (which most open source developers do not
have the resources to do) and help prevent / reverse the
[RIAA|MPAA|insert IP trade org. here] perception that all open source
projects exist only to steal intellectual property from "legitimate
business".
> So when are you removing that illegal mplayer functionality? I can find you
> many places that claim it's use is illegal.
>
Distribution of MPlayer (and every other open source DVD player) WAS
illegal until an appellate court ruled that the encryption key used was
so widely distributed it no longer qualified for protection as a trade
secret. Absent this decision, MPlayer (and every other software DVD
player that had not obtained the encryption key through "appropriate
"channels) legally should not be distributed in the US. It may still be
illegal in other parts of the world; I'm not familiar with international
law / precedence on the subject.
Dan
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