Watching DVD's on Linux is ILLEGAL in the USA?

[Derek Trotter]

I have no doubt that the control freaks who run the government and their 
cronies in business would argue that using software they don't approve 
of to watch a dvd you bought is illegal.

On 03/02/2013 05:41 PM, Richard Daggett wrote:
> VLC uses libdvdcss and libdvdcss does not use DeCSS (legal version of 
> dvd encryption).  I am not saying its right or wrong, just pulling 
> information out of the article.
>
>
>       libdvdcss
>
> Modern Linux machines don’t use DeCSS. However, through examining the 
> DeCSS code, people realized that CSS was vulnerable to a brute-force 
> attack.  CSS uses 40-bit encryption and doesn’t use every possible 
> key, so it’s an extremely weak type of encryption. A modern computer 
> can crack a DVD’s CSS encryption through brute force – that is, by 
> trying every possible key and seeing which one works – in just a few 
> seconds.
>
> This is what libdvdcss does. With libdvdcss installed on Linux, after 
> you insert a DVD into your computer’s DVD drive, your computer will 
> brute-force its encryption in a few seconds. It may look like the DVD 
> is just opening in VLC, but your computer is cracking the encryption 
> key in the background to make it viewable.
>
> If you don’t have libdvdcss or DeCSS installed, DVDs won’t play back 
> at all.
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 1:26 PM, Eric Oyen <eric.oyen at gmail.com 
> <mailto:eric.oyen at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     I find this rather interesting as I haven't had to install any
>     cracking software to view DVD's on linux. VLC can play any
>     commercially available DVD without having to install DVDCSS or any
>     ripping software. It also happens to be one of the few apps in
>     linux that has labeled controls that work with ORCA (the screen
>     reader for the blind).
>
>     IMHO, anyone that states (as a matter of law) that viewing movies
>     in linux is illegal should refer to the fair use portions of US
>     Copyright law. I maintain that I have the right to view my
>     purchased DVD's with whatever technology that allows me to do so.
>     Simply labeling us as criminals because we use a non-supported OS
>     to play our media just isn't justifiable. It also violates
>     constitutional law (we are innocent until proven guilty in a court
>     of law).
>
>     Big content needs to get with the program. We are out here and we
>     are not going away. Instead of trying to criminalize s, they
>     should be marketing to us. it will make them more money and allow
>     us to enjoy what we want.
>
>     -eric
>
>     On Mar 2, 2013, at 9:46 AM, Richard Daggett wrote:
>
>>     I would say its illegal to watch dvd's on a illegal copy of the
>>     player (using libdvdcss).  You can purchase legal dvd players for
>>     linux
>>
>>
>>           Actually, Linux Has a Few Licensed DVD Players
>>
>>     It was once true that Linux users had to become criminals to
>>     watch commercial video DVDs (at least in the USA). However, there
>>     are now licensed DVD players available for Linux.
>>
>>     For example, Ubuntu’s Software Center offers the licensed Fluendo
>>     DVD Player
>>     <https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/fluendo-dvd/>. This DVD
>>     player will cost you $25, although you have probably already paid
>>     for licensed DVD-playback software that comes with your
>>     computer’s DVD drive in the first place. If you purchased the
>>     licensed Cyberlink DVD player, which was previously the only
>>     legal option for watching DVDs on Linux in the USA, you probably
>>     need to buy the Fluendo DVD Player to play DVDs on modern
>>     versions of Ubuntu.
>>
>>
>>
>>     On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 9:38 AM, Stephen <cryptworks at gmail.com
>>     <mailto:cryptworks at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>>         Yep sure is... a very weakly enforced illegal until you start
>>         distributing media that you "cracked"
>>
>>
>>         On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 8:16 AM, Lyle Tuttle <l.tuttle at cox.net
>>         <mailto:l.tuttle at cox.net>> wrote:
>>
>>             http://tinyurl.com/asaz2j4 <http://tinyurl.com/asaz2j4>
>>
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>>
>>
>>         -- 
>>         A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent
>>         you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit
>>         the snooze button.
>>
>>         Stephen
>>
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Patrick Moore

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