Judge extends Real DVD ban

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 9 Oct 2008 at 15:14

A judge has ordered the ban on Real DVD software be extended by an extra month, giving her more time to delve into the intricacies of the case.

The software allows users to backup any DVD they own to their hard disk. Although it features inbuilt DRM to prevent the user distributing the copy to other machines, that didn't stop the The Motion Picture Association of America immediately slapping Real Networks with a lawsuit demanding its ban.

The product was removed from sale on 3 October, with the original order keeping it off the shelves until 14 October. However, district Court Judge Marilyn Patel claims she needs more time to understand how the software works, and will spend the next month in technical briefings with both sides.

Real Networks has vowed to fight the case to the bitter end, with company founder Rob Glaser claiming in a blog: "I believe great products should not be bullied out of the market by people trying to misuse the law to suppress legitimate innovation."