nsane.forums Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 The most common, free method of watching a video DVD on Linux actually circumvents the CSS protection on the disc, which is technically illegal under the DMCA in the United States. According to the United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), it's technically illegal to watch DVDs on Linux through the most commonly used methods. Many Linux distributions, including the ever-popular Ubuntu, don't include critical out-of-the-box DVD playback components, instead requiring users to look elsewhere for the necessary libraries. As you are probably aware, DVDs are generally encrypted, and this encryption happens to use the Content Scramble System (CSS). Companies that produce DVD players license CSS support from the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA), and as part of the licensing agreement there are certain copy-protection features that must be implemented, such as the region code system; these features are available out-of-the-box in Windows and Mac OS X, but not Linux. So what happens when you want to play a DVD back on Linux? Originally, when Linux had no way to watch video DVDs, a programmer reverse-engineered a poorly-protected DVD player to create DeCSS, which decoded CSS encryption and allowed access to the video content. Since then it has been discovered that CSS encryption is extremely weak, and can be brute-forced in mere seconds - which is exactly what the modern libdvdcss does every time you want to play a video DVD in Linux. As libdvdcss does not license CSS support from the DVD CCA, and due to the way it circumvents the encryption methods, its use is illegal under the DMCA and other similar laws. While there have been no legal challenges against libdvdcss, breaking CSS encryption has been confirmed by the courts to be illegal, and doing so through this method technically makes you a criminal in the same way ripping a DVD is illegal. There are legal ways to watch DVDs on Linux, such as purchasing Fluendo DVD Player for $25 that includes licensed CSS support, however most users likely download libdvdcss and VLC for free instead. It's incredibly unlikely that anyone will be hauled up to court for watching a DVD on Linux, in the same way people get away with DVD ripping for personal use, but it just goes to show what the DMCA technically classes as illegal. View: Original Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPECTRUM Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 currently you can play legally DVDs on Linux using VLC ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganxxta Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 What has the world become? :wtf: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs18 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 The first victim in the technological food-chain is invariably Linux - any sort of modern advancements, be it the CSS encryption (at lower-end) or UEFI (at the higher-end) or even plain cross compatibility with 3rd party programs manages to affect Linux in some way or the other and this is bloody unfair.It doesn't help the Linux cause either; that most of their Users spend more time in bashing Windows than in adding value to their own product, per se.I think somebody with a fire in their belly (and below it) should stand up (I mean the person) and promote Linux aggressively - in the longer run, competition always benefits us (the End-Users.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xpmule Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 this is VERY old news and not sure why this is making the rounds on the net..installed linux in the last decade ? wanted to play a DVD ? noticed the CSS related code was not bundled with your distrib ?read why ?? there ya go.. old news lollicenesed code needs to be licensed THAT is the story ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ck_kent Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Who, in their right mind, using an open source OS, wants to pay a software just to play a DVD? <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rach Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 ah, read this just give me a headache :closedeyes:VLC should be the solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacius Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Under the DMCA, using VLC to play DVDs is illegal too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olerd Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 This is too unfair. Just using a software like linux or VLC even though you own your DVD is illegal. WTF!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacius Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 This is too unfair. Just using a software like linux or VLC even though you own your DVD is illegal. WTF!!!!!VLC and Linux (and Windows 8 without WMC) don't include the CSS algorithm used on DVDs. VLC uses brute force to exploit the copy protection, so because VLC didn't pay for the CSS algorithm, it's technically illegal to use it to play DVDs under the DMCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASIO Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 lol .... ha haha ha .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightDistortions Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 lol this is both stupid and hilarious. It's like buying a pair of clothes but you need a license to wear them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs18 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 this is VERY old news and not sure why this is making the rounds on the net..Mr. News Hound specializes in sensationalism - he has a patent pending for the monopoly rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudrax Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 this is VERY old news and not sure why this is making the rounds on the net..Mr. News Hound specializes in sensationalism - he has a patent pending for the monopoly rights.News Hound is a bot. Why are you talking to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs18 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Talking with xpmule. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xpmule Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 well i know most stories end up all over the net so if i say that i don't mean anything against nsane specifically ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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