Six Hollywood studios sue RealNetworks

Source: Exec Digital USA

Date :10/1/2008 5:34:20 AM

Six major studios, as well as Sony, have begun proceedings against RealNetworks for its RealDVD programme which allows users to make copies of their DVDs.

Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures and Disney began proceedings in Los Angeles over the RealDVD programme, which retails for around US$30.

“RealDVD should be called StealDVD,” said Greg Goeckner, Executive Vice President of the Motion Picture Association of America. “RealNetworks knows its product violates the law, and undermines the hard-won trust that has been growing between America’s moviemakers and the technology community.”

RealNetworks, however, remained defiant. The company has had at least six high-profile court cases in the past ten years. Most memorably its Chief Executive Rob Glaser took on Microsoft and won a settlement of US$760.

“We are disappointed that the movie industry is following in the footsteps of the music industry and trying to shut down advances in technology, rather than embracing changes that provide consumers with more value and flexibility for their purchases,” said RealNetworks in a statement.

RealNetworks argue that RealDVD, which does not allow file-sharing, is legal because of a court case last year against Kaleidescope which resulted in a favourable ruling for media servers. However, the studios claim that the RealDVD violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 because the programme bypasses the built-in anticopying mechanism in DVDs.