RealDVD is in Real Trouble. No, Really.
By Harry McCracken | Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Why is the woman in the above image from RealNetworks RealDVD site smiling? You’d think she’d look just a tad glum given that the software, launched just last week, has been pulled off the market. According to NewTeeVee, a court has told Real to stop distributing the company’s DVD copying software until Tuesday while it reviews the case. That’s the latest development in the legal tussle that has Real suing Hollywood, Hollywood suing Real, and most consumers, I suspect, rooting for Real–except for those who think that the company is a bad guy itself for selling software that not only preserves DVD’s encryption on the copies it makes but adds additional DRM.
I sure hope that Real prevails, and quickly; RealDVD is a small but real positive development for consumers who want to get more out of media they’ve paid for, and it doesn’t let anyone put copies on BitTorrent or otherwise engage in mass piracy. If even its limited functionality is forbidden or stuck in legal limbo, it’s going to be really depressing.
I’m not a lawyer, though, so I’m not going to make any predictions about RealDVD’s fate. You’d think that Real wouldn’t have gone to the expense and bother of developing it if it wasn’t reasonably confident that it could sell the darn application, but perhaps it gambled and gambled badly. (I do regret declaring that the software was “clearly legal” in my review: I was…clearly wrong. Or at least not clearly right.)
Oh, and Technologizer gave away ten license codes for RealDVD yesterday to members of our community, so I’m rooting for the current RealDVD takedown to indeed end on Tuesday so those winners can make use of their codes.
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RealDepressing: RealDVD Loses a Round in Court | Technologizer Says:
August 11th, 2009 at 8:06 pm[…] injunction against Real selling the software, which seems like kind of a formality given that she stopped Real from selling it almost as soon as it went on sale last […]
October 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
BOOO on Hollywood. If you Purchase a movie you should be able to do what ever you want with that. If its for personal use and stays in your home then it shouldn’t matter. Im a full Firm Believer of this. Ripping a DVD is NO different that coping your CD’s to your MP3 player.
But yea I hope Real Wins this. I should of downloaded the trial version while it was out lol
October 6th, 2008 at 6:25 am
I was one of the winners an luckily I downloaded it as soon as I got home. Thank you for the contest.
As far as the legal case is concerned. Why doesn’t this fall under the ruling from when video tapes came out? Since the software does not remove the copy protection from the movie isn’t this a good solution for the MPAA? Don’t consumers have the legal right to make a backup of media they own? If I want to rip a few DVDs, that I own, so I can watch them on vacation without having to lug the actual media, isn’t this a great option? I can rip a movie that I own but not distribute it. If this software is deemed illegal than more than likely people would use one of the other methods that do remove the copy protection or just download a copy that’s already been ripped. I know we all love to hate the MPAA and RIAA but I think they really are clueless. It seems to me that if they are successful at getting this software deemed illegal then they are pushing people to use software that is more detrimental to their industry as upsetting their customers.