[wordup] DVD Jon is free - official

[Adam Shand]

Thank goodness ...

From: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/28749.html

DVD Jon is free - official
By John Leyden
Posted: 07/01/2003 at 11:09 GMT

The entertainment lobby has failed to persuade a Norwegian court to 
convict a teenager for creating a utility for playing back DVDs on his 
own computer.

Jon Lech Johansen has been acquitted of all charges in a trial that 
tested the legality of the DeCSS DVD decryption utility he produced, 
Norwegian paper Aftenposten reports.

Norwegian prosecutors, acting largely on the behest of the Motion 
Picture Association of America (MPAA), argued in court that Johansen 
acted illegally in sharing his DeCSS tool with others and distributing 
it via the Internet. They claimed the DeCSS utility made it easier to 
pirate DVDs.

The court rejected these arguments, ruling that Johansen did nothing 
wrong in bypassing DVD scrambling codes that stopped him using his Linux 
PC to play back DVDs he'd bought.

Judge Irene Sogn ruled that there was "no evidence" that either Johansen 
or others had used the decryption code (DeCSS) illegally, Aftenposten 
reports. Judge Sogn dismissed prosecution arguments that Johansen 
intended to aid and abet DVD piracy.

The ruling means its legal to use DeCSS code to watch legally obtained 
DVD films, at least in Norway.

The case began three years ago with a raid on Johansen's home, after 
which he was charged by the Norwegian Economic Crime Unit for obscure 
offences against Norwegian Criminal Code 145(2) which carry a sentence 
of up to two years in jail.

The case has been closely watched ever since, and Johansen's victory 
represents a big win for the tech enthusiasts against the bully-boy 
tactics of the US entertainment industry. ®