Hollywood Forced SlySoft DVD Ripping Software Out Of Business, Only To Have It Return As RedFox

from the back-again dept

It never made much sense that ripping CDs in the US is considered legal, while ripping DVDs is somehow horrible piracy. If anything, it seemed to be an artifact of history. Either way, it was much more difficult for people to rip DVDs. However, whenever the issue would come up, most people would point to SlySoft's AnyDVD product, which was a clunky, but functional bit of software for getting around DRM and ripping DVDs. The company was based in Antigua and had been around for years. So it took some people by surprise when it announced it was shutting down due to regulatory changes earlier this year. It looked like Hollywood had done what it normally does and scared an innovative company it didn't like out of business. But, as reader Derek points out to us, it looks like it only took a week or so before former SlySoft employees resurfaced in Belize with a new offering called RedFox, using a somewhat similar logo. As the RedFox folks explain things:

The RedFox team consists of former SlySoft developers and staff members who were left without a job after the company was forced to close down for good on February 22nd, 2016.

It looked like the fox would be gone for good as its burrow ceased to exist with SlySoft.

Being left without any infrastructure and nothing but our forum still running, we were about to give up. After the shock wore off we considered our options and the overwhelming support of our community convinced us to pick up the pieces and continue the development.

It kind of makes you wonder what the hell is the point of trying to shut down a tool like SlySoft in the first place, doesn't it?

Filed Under: copyright, dvd ripping
Companies: redfox, slysoft

Court Allows German Website To Link To Software Company's Website Five Years Later

from the links-are-speech dept

Having recently been in Germany, and discussing the state of the law there, I have to say that I was pretty stunned with the level of liability placed on third parties in Germany. I was told, repeatedly, that German law places tremendous liability on third parties, holding them responsible for actions of users in many, many cases. So, perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that a news publisher, Heise, was banned from linking to a software company, Slysoft, which makes programs for copying various content from CDs, DVDs, etc., and which can be used to circumvent DRM. Way back in 2005, Heise was sued by folks in the music industry (it's unclear exactly who, and most of my searches are turning up only German reports on this -- so if anyone knows, please fill us in via the comments), and a court ruled that it could not even link to Slysoft's front page, even as the company's lawyers pointed out (correctly) that not linking wouldn't exactly stop people from being able to find Slysoft and its software, and that linking is part of how journalism works these days.

Another court in 2008 agreed, but now, five years after the original ruling, it appears that a court has rejected those earlier rulings and upheld Heise's right to link to the website of a company it was reporting on (found via Glyn Moody). It's pretty amazing in this day and age that this even needs to be discussed, but there's still plenty of confusion over this. A link is just a form of speech. It's about time that courts finally understood this simple fact.

Filed Under: copyright, drm, germany, links
Companies: heise, slysoft