US judge extends ban on RealDVD sales
updated 09:05 am EDT, Thu October 9, 2008
RealDVD ban extended
A temporary ban issued at the start of this week on RealNetwork’s sales of its RealDVD software, which allows users to copy DVD movies, has been extended until a hearing is held to decide whether or not to make the ban more permanent. The stop in sales was ordered by a US federal judge after Hollywood studios, represented by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), sued RealNetworks over copyright issues. The extension came just one day after the original temporary ban, on Tuesday, according to a Thursday report.
While the MPAA alleges RealDVD illegally bypasses copy protection measures, RealNetworks maintains the copied material preserves the protection and is restricted to users’ internal or portable storage drives. The company also applies its own copy protection measures to keep users from making bootleg copies. The company is confident the courts will find that RealDVD complies with the DVD Copy Control Association license agreement.
A date has not been announced for a hearing to determine whether or not a more permanent ban on sales is considered necessary.
