RealNetworks Asks Court To Declare DVD-Copying Software Legal, Hollywood Studios Countersues To Stop Sale

September 30, 2008 10:26 p.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - Tuesday's market debut of a software that its maker claims to legally copy DVDs in PCs was greeted with a lawsuit from Hollywood's movie makers complaining of copyright violation.

The suit from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) counters the lawsuit filed earlier in the day by RealNetworks against the group and the DVD Copy Control Association (DCCA) in a bid to have the controversial RealDVD declared legal.

MPAA's petition before the U.S. District Court seeks the issuance of an injunction against the Seattle-based company to stop its sale of RealDVD and to order the latter to pay damages.

In the lawsuit, the MPAA accused RealNetworks of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act because its RealDVD does not prevent copying of rented DVDs by overriding the built-in encryption in discs that prevents its digital duplication.

However, RealNetwork cited a precedent case between the DCCA and Kaleidescape, wherein the court declared the latter's DVD copying method legal.