RealNetworks Ups The Ante; Wants To Add Antitrust Charges Against The MPAA

from the your-move dept

Thu, May 14th 2009 2:04am — Mike Masnick

With the lawsuit between the movie studios and RealNetworks off to an inauspicious start, it looks like RealNetworks decided to pull out the nuclear option: it's trying to add anti-trust charges against the movie studios to the case. The company claims it's come across evidence that the studios colluded to boycott RealNetworks and its attempt to let people back up their legally obtained movies. It would be interesting to know the details behind the evidence, as it could make the case a lot more exciting pretty quickly.

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Filed Under: antitrust, collusion, dvds, mpaa
Companies: mpaa, realnetworks

25 Comments

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bob, 14 May 2009 @ 3:37am

I hope They Do Have It
Evidence That Is.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 5:21am

I'm so torn with this one
... do I side with the company who's software hijacks all media on my computer, makes my systray light up every few seconds and just generally annoys the heck out of me? Or do I side with the media mafiaa.

Decisions, decisions...
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 5:30am

... do I side with the company who's software hijacks all media on my computer, makes my systray light up every few seconds and just generally annoys the heck out of me? Or do I side with the media mafiaa.

Just like any sort of election, it's sometimes better to choose the lesser of two evils. At least you can remove REAL software from your computer.
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DigitalRAGE, 14 May 2009 @ 5:40am

You can also remove the MPAA by not going to the movies this summer, by not watching tv, and by not buying movies. Once the movie studios loose their cash flow they will get rid of the MPAA like a bad case of craps.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 5:43am

Antitrust
I've always wondered why more people didn't bring antitrust suits against the content cartels. What they do in hindering new technologies for data distribution is clearly less about "piracy" and more about stopping anyone who is unlicensed by them from competing in the space. They have a death-grip on their monopoly on distribution, yet they're never called on it.
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Tim, 14 May 2009 @ 6:01am

Wonder if this would work with the way that the DRM is deliberately excluding Linux from being able to play Blueray and DVD. Seems like they are boycotting Linux to me
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 6:06am

Re:
But you can get a copy from the A-hole and play that on Linux ...
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Greg G, 14 May 2009 @ 6:07am

Re:
Yea, call me a spelling/grammar nazi, but I can't take it.

It's not "loose their cash...," it's "lose their cash..."

loose: not tight.
lose: unsuccessful in retaining possession of
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 6:11am

"exciting pretty quickly."

Since the opposite of pretty which is a type of beauty is ugly could you pleas explain what ugly quick is? If you can not explain that then you have no definition of "pretty quickly". Does that mean very quickly" Or does that mean slow quickly? Or has has someone hit "Quickly" over the head with a pretty stick?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 6:21am

I dont use any realnetworks software as it does tend hog resources, but I hope they win this case!
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David Lee, 14 May 2009 @ 6:48am

Anon Cow -- You're an idiot.
Go away.

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

- pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing; "pretty girl"; "pretty song"; "pretty room"
- reasonably: to a moderately sufficient extent or degree; "pretty big"; "pretty bad"; "jolly decent of him"; "the shoes are priced reasonably"; "he is fairly clever with computers"
- used ironically) unexpectedly bad; "a pretty mess"; "a pretty kettle of fish"
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turf, 14 May 2009 @ 7:19am

Re: I'm so torn with this one
Two words: Real Alternative
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wammer, 14 May 2009 @ 7:20am

RICO the RIAA and the MPAA
They can't stop us!!
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 7:25am

7 year court cases are not often exciting.
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Spyder, 14 May 2009 @ 7:27am

Re: @#3
Exactly.
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NPGMBR, 14 May 2009 @ 7:34am

Re: I hope They Do Have It
Me too but it doesn't change the fact that Real still sucks.
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Stuart, 14 May 2009 @ 7:50am

Re:
Or better yet he could have just not installed it in the first place.
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Pjerky (profile), 14 May 2009 @ 8:04am

Re:
DigitalRAGE, you are a hoot. You honestly think that if they start loosing a ton of money they will get rid of the MPAA. You honestly have not been paying attention over the last few years. No, they won't get rid of it, they will rely on it more to prosecute anyone that they can find to accuse of hurting their business. They will never admit their own mistakes and take full responsibility for it. That is not the way of the Entertainment Industry.
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Esahc (profile), 14 May 2009 @ 8:13am

Re:
It's called an expression; get over it.
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Esahc (profile), 14 May 2009 @ 8:16am

I'm almost willing to install Real on my computer, if only to show support.
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Paul Brinker, 14 May 2009 @ 9:11am

if this works can we?
Start braking up other groups that work like this? Its easy to say there is price fixing going on, and im rather sure that music and DVDs will end up costing the same no matter who you go through because if you charge to little there going to try to take away your media.
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MattP, 14 May 2009 @ 9:33am

Re:
...almost
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2009 @ 10:35am

The grammar Nazi is right ....
We are all playing fast and loose with our o's when trying to express the loss of something. Or perhaps it is correct in saying that they will not be tight with their money.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2009 @ 5:23pm

Re: Re: I hope They Do Have It
You might change your mind if they do get the MPAA on anti-trust.
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