It seems like the movie industry wants to go a little too far — they’re trying to convict a Norwegian teenager for trying to view the DVDs he legally bought.
The whole story is that he co-created software that allowed him to view DVDs that he legally bought on his Linux computer. Linux currently does not have any approved software for viewing DVDs. He posted the program code on the Internet so that he could test out the program. Apparently, the MPAA got paranoid and wanted to sue everyone — not only Jon Johansen, the teenager, but anyone who linked to his program!
I guess we now say goodbye to freedom of speech, ¡adios! to freedom of the press (for hyperlinking), and Auf Wiedersehen to buying DVDs — after all, we can’t watch them anymore, can we? In the US, this will be the first major case under the DMCA, and in Norway, this will be the first case trying someone for viewing a legally purchased product. Wow. Sometimes makes you want to become a lawyer, doesn’t it?
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