Rich Fiscus
18 Aug 2007 22:36
The DVD Copy Control Association may have reason to reconsider a proposed amendment to the CSS license which would force media server manufacturer Kaleidescape to stop selling their premier product.
Kaleidescape's attorneys sent a letter to the association threatening to sue on anti-trust grounds if the amendment gets approved.
In a letter to Kaleidescape’s attorneys dated Aug. 6, DVD-CCA attorney Perry Johnson called the threat “unfounded” and accused Kaleidescape of attempting to “derail DVD-CCA’s fair and open amendment process.” However, the response didn't go so far as to say that they'll push the amendment forward.
The amendment, originally sponsored by Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Co. and two companies each from the consumer electronics and IT industries, would moot a judgment in favor of Kaleidescape by a California state court in a breach-of-contract claim brought against Kaleidescape by DVD-CCA.
The earlier litigation claimed Kaleidescape violated the CSS license by allowing its home media servers to copy DVDs to a hard drive for streaming across a network.
The judge in that case ruled that the CSS license did not legally prohibit Kaleidescape’s design. The ruling is now under appeal, giving the DVD-CCA even more reason to wait before taking action to amend the license, potentially exposing themselves to legal action.
If an anti-trust case ever goes to court, backers of the ACSS protection on next-gen formats will certainly be watching closely as it may affect the future of that protection as well.
Source: Video Business