Makes ya wonder what other secret legal decisions have been made.

Judge's Top Secret Decision Blocks Sale of DVD-Copying Software
By David Kravets
October 06, 2008 | 3:42:13 PM
Categories: Intellectual Property

A federal judge has issued a secret, interim order blocking the sale of RealNetworks' DVD-copying software, RealDVD, two sources said Monday.

In an unusual move, the judge presiding over the MPAA's federal copyright lawsuit against RealNetworks also instructed both parties not to disclose the existence of the restraining order to the public.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, who previously presided over the original Napster litigation, issued the tentative decision late Friday, the sources said. As of this writing, the electronic court docket does not reflect a sealed decision in the case, although RealNetworks informed consumers on its website that, "Due to recent legal action taken by the Hollywood movie studios against us, RealDVD is temporarily unavailable."

But in a court filing (.pdf) Monday, RealNetworks for the first time publicly acknowledged Patel's decision granting a temporary restraining order.

"Defendants have already caused significant irreparable harm to Real by prevailing upon this court to institute a temporary halt to sales of RealDVD since the evening of Friday, October 3, 2008," RealNetworks wrote Patel. "The grant of a further TRO or preliminary injunction now will devastate Real's ability to ever launch RealDVD successfully or to capitalize on its lead over competitors."

The MPAA, in seeking to block RealDVD sales, claims (.pdf) the software is illegal and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The group says the software illegally circumvents technology designed to keep DVDs from being copied. The studios also claim RealNetworks, which released the software September 30, is in violation of its contract with the DVD Copy Control Association, which granted RealNetworks a license to descramble encrypted DVD codes for the production of a DVD "player."

RealNetworks denies it violated a contract, and says its software does not circumvent any anti-copying technology.

Patel, a President Carter appointee, has scheduled a 2 p.m. hearing on Tuesday to hear the MPAA's plea to keep the DVD-copying software out of the marketplace permanently. The hearing is noticed on Patel's calendar.

Why the interim decision is under seal is anybody's guess.

that's not really a big deal since that software takes away the copy protection on retail dvds. if they were banning nero or something, then it would be something worth mentioning

Don't you know that this software is a gateway drug!!!!!

well, from what I understood in another article, it removes it but replaces it by something else, on purpose.
It's basically meant for transferring your own stuff to a different platform for ease of use....and we know ease of use is not something the film and music industry care much about

Not allowed to sell it?!? ZOMG!!! Now I might have to download free software that copies DVD's even better!

So... is it illegal to sell software that downloads software that allows you to copy protected DVDs?

We must use the full force of the US Government to protect the movie and music industries' failed business models!

Let's solve this problem once and for all by banning the internet.

No, we should put control of the internet in the hands of media conglomerates.

Exactly what I was going to say.

heh

Didn't you see the commercial at the movie theater! The big movie companies can't afford to pay the old guy on the ladder and the pretty girl with the big headphones on! And it's totally because you're stealing movies! Not because they pay the lead actors $35 million dollars to be in the film! It's You. YOUUUUUUUUUU!!!