U.S. Court Orders Seizure of “DVD Ripping” Software Domains, Servers and Funds

[shamu726]

A New York federal court has granted the seizure of several domain names, bank funds and social media accounts belonging to DVD ripping software company DVDFab. Judge Broderick ruled in favor of AACS, the licensing outfit founder by Warner Bros, Disney, Microsoft, Intel and others.

AACS, the decryption licensing outfit founded by a group of movie studios and technology partners including Warner Bros, Disney, Microsoft and Intel, has launched a crackdown on DRM-circumvention software.

In an effort to limit the availability of so-called DVD ripping software, AACS has sued the company behind the popular DVD ripping software DVDFab.

Under U.S. law it’s forbidden to distribute software with the primary intention of circumventing copyright protection. In its complaint, AACS accuses the “DVDFab Group” of violating the DMCA’s anti-circumvention clause by selling tools that can bypass their DVD encryption.

“The DVDFab Group openly touts these illegal circumvention attributes of the DVDFab Software on the DVDFab Websites, advertising that, among other things, its software products ‘remove all Blu-ray copy protections,’ and ‘can remove … all known AACS copy protections’,” AACS writes in its complaint.

To stop the Chinese-based DVDFab from distributing its software in public, AACS moved for a preliminary injunction. After DVDFab failed to respond in court the request was granted by New York Federal Judge Vernon Broderick. TF has obtained a copy of the order.

The broad injunction is unique in its scope, ordering several domain registrars to disable all domains associated with the DVDFab group. This includes DVDFab.com, DVDFab.net, DVDidle.com, 3d-videoconverters.com, 3dBluRay-ripper.com, Blu-Ray-ripper.us, Blu-Ray-Software.us, BluRayripper.jp, BluRaysbs3d.com, BluRaysoft.jp, CopyBiuRay.us, DVDFab.jp, DVDFab9.com and DVDvideosoft.jp.

At the time of writing none of the above domains can be reached.

Besides the domain names, DVDFab’s hosting providers are also ordered to stop servicing the company, as are other online services including Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Whether AACS has asked for the closure of DVDFab’s social media accounts is unclear, as they remain active for now.

Adding to DVDFab’s troubles, Judge Broderick also ordered several banks and payment providers to freeze or stop processing the company’s funds. This includes PayPal, Amazon Payments, Visa and MasterCard.

The injunction

In summary, the order grants AACS the power to completely wipe all traces of DVDFab from the Internet, and make it hard for the company to resurface elsewhere. At least, that was the plan.

The Chinese software vendor is not giving up easily, and is already making a comeback.

“Existing bookmarks for either site may not work from some locations, so temporary sites for both are being prepared and will be online shortly,” a company spokesman says, pointing users to dvdfab.jp.

Quite how long this domain and associated payment services can remain functional remains to be seen.

In any case, AACS and the movie industry will be encouraged by this broad injunction, and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if we see this strategy being repeated against other piracy-related targets in the near future.

Source: TorrentFreak

[sinders]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if they made all softwares like this illegal in the future

and these companies are forced to stop making such software.

I reckon we are all screwed when it comes to copy protection and making backup

copies of our DVDs and Blu-rays if they deem it illegal in the future which it will

probably happen sooner or later and companies such as SlySoft and DVDFab

are forced to stop making such software, AnyDVD, DVDFab etc.

DVDFab and SlySoft are the two big players when it comes to breaking the latest

copy protection and therefore allowing you to make backup copies of the latest

DVDs and Blu-ray releases.

Edited March 11, 2014 by sinders

[majithia23]

[948bennett]

i remember back in the day when dvdxcopy express was the bees knees, but 321 studios got shut down for the same reason.

[calguyhunk]

This is exactly what I was afraid of all these days since the start of the "anti-piracy" wars. They've already targeted peering software like Bit-Torrent and now slowly but surely we'll also start seeing lawsuits against screen-capture software, streaming audio/video recording software, downloading software and eventually, even blank media (DVD etc.) manufacturers because all those can - in theory - assist 'piracy'. :nono:

This is exactly what happens when you have tech-illiterate, corrupt, sell-out legislators making laws. The music, movie and television industry survived just fine, and indeed thrived in the days of the dual cassette deck that could copy cassettes. The days when VCR's could record entire TV programs or even from other VHS tapes. But now since sharing has become so much easier thanks to the net, they're targeting the technology itself and what's worse, we're letting them get away with that. :mad2:

Tyranny is everywhere. We cannot give in to the propaganda that tells us that only the Iranian, North Korean, Russian or Syrian etc. Govts. are tyrannical and/or corrupt and treat their own citizenry with disdain. It's everywhere. The NSA, MPAA, BREIN etc. are just the start. It's only going to get progressively worse if we as the people don't do something about it. And you don't need a tin foil hat to see that. You need to be a Kool-Aid drinking oblivious idiot not to recognize what's going on here. :(

We've seen it happen to Assange, Snowden, Manning, Swartz and so many others. Some like Swartz have paid for with their precious lives. You and I are next. Be afraid. Be very afraid. :wut:

Edited March 11, 2014 by calguyhunk

[CODYQX4]

.

Edited April 28, 2019 by CODYQX4

[mastershake]

nooooooooooooo i really hope they dont go away and come back to fight. i use this software all the time. total bs. when you have little kids in the house and you dont want them playing frisbee with the original discs you make backups. they are mine i bought them and paid for them. and now i have to sit and make sure not a finger touches them to not get scratched is total bs.

Edited March 11, 2014 by mastershake

[calguyhunk]

...and all of it will amount to pissing in the wind. Some hacker will break the next DRM (DVDs and media are going to die eventually (less and less PCs are coming with optical disk drives), and we'll be dealing with pure digital), and open source it all.

It's a question of principle. What we're debating here is the artificial throttling and censoring of technology by ruthless corporates, ably supported by their political cronies. It doesn't mater what type of technology they are trying to throttle. You're unfortunately missing the wood for the trees. ;)

Today they're after DVD's, tomorrow they'll come after after 3D Printing. And that's certainly not yesterday's tech, is it? It's the future, and I wouldn't want govts. decide what I can print or cannot in the privacy of my home. :(

[mastershake]

also for me dvd is not dead and will not be for a long time. when i have little kids youngest 2 i would much rather hand them a cheap dvd-r then allow them to start playing with files to play over a network which they really cant do anyway. but even my youngest can almost use the dvd player by herself. and i print pictures on her dvd-r's so she can pick which one she wants to play. if i would have let them use the real originals i would have paid out the ass by now for new copies. i have thrown away more burned ones than i can remember because they became unplayable. but i still have the original safe and sound and i just make another one.

[locoJoe]

First off as long as there are DVDs and BDs to rip then someone will make a soft to do it. If its not a legit company it will be a geek in his bedroom that makes it...no problems...

2ndly when main stream internet users no longer can rip discs or DL movies because they dont know where the warez is I believe that the movie industry will see a very very sharp decline in the interest people have in alot (most) of their movies. Simply put most of the "industries" shit is just that...shit...and people will not even bother with it if they cant "check it out" for free.... Anyways I do not foresee a future where I will have to pay.

[948bennett]

The us goverment says its illegal to backup your own bought and paid for discs but yet the same goverment can intercept your emails, phone calls, web/social activity illegally without anyone bating an eye lid. They really piss me off!! Double standards all the way.

[CODYQX4]

.

Edited April 28, 2019 by CODYQX4

[GRiM]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if they made all softwares like this illegal in the future

and these companies are forced to stop making such software.

I reckon we are all screwed when it comes to copy protection and making backup

copies of our DVDs and Blu-rays if they deem it illegal in the future which it will

probably happen sooner or later and companies such as SlySoft and DVDFab

are forced to stop making such software, AnyDVD, DVDFab etc.

DVDFab and SlySoft are the two big players when it comes to breaking the latest

copy protection and therefore allowing you to make backup copies of the latest

DVDs and Blu-ray releases.

Don't be ridiculous. The US does not own the world/other countries and cannot stop foreign countries from producing/selling software.

[CODYQX4]

.

Edited April 28, 2019 by CODYQX4

[iih1]

I agree with you GRiM, the fact US doesn't own the world or other countries

and can't stop foreign countries from producing & selling softwares. Just stop there no other debate.

[GRiM]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if they made all softwares like this illegal in the future

and these companies are forced to stop making such software.

I reckon we are all screwed when it comes to copy protection and making backup

copies of our DVDs and Blu-rays if they deem it illegal in the future which it will

probably happen sooner or later and companies such as SlySoft and DVDFab

are forced to stop making such software, AnyDVD, DVDFab etc.

DVDFab and SlySoft are the two big players when it comes to breaking the latest

copy protection and therefore allowing you to make backup copies of the latest

DVDs and Blu-ray releases.

Don't be ridiculous. The US does not own the world/other countries and cannot stop foreign countries from producing/selling software.

The rest of the world is owned by the same people that own the US, let's not be naive.

Hope you've got your tinfoil hat on.

I'm not been naive at all. For example CloneCD, CloneDVD and AnyDVD was previously owned by a US company called Elaborate Bytes, The US brung new laws out regarding copy protection removal so the company changed name and relocated and carried on selling their products.

There's always going to be software and ways of removing DRM no matter what the US says/thinks, end of.

Edited March 11, 2014 by GRiM

[Karlston]

It's irony that people wanting to the right thing and pay for DVDFab can't do so, but pirated copies are still available through P2P. :rolleyes:

[eurotrash]

DVDFab is back ppl, enjoy!

http://en.dvdfab.jp/

[alaindc]

DVDFab is back ppl, enjoy!

http://en.dvdfab.jp/

there is this one too

http://fr.dvdfab.cn/

[SnakeMasteR]

DVDFab is back ppl, enjoy!

http://en.dvdfab.jp/

there is this one too

http://fr.dvdfab.cn/

And this one, eh

http://dvdfab.de/

Hey, chinese domains don't count since they all have the same main domain. :wtf:

After DVDFab failed to respond in court the request was granted by New York Federal Judge Vernon Broderick.

Edited March 11, 2014 by n0_risk!

[shamu726]

All they're doing is making DVDFab even more famous. Wouldn't surprise me if sales went up because of this. :lmao: