CA Supreme Court Saves LiViD, Pavlovich

joebeone writes "The California Supreme Court has suprisingly ruled that Matthew Pavlovich is not within their jurisdiction in the DVD-CCA's suit against his posting of DeCSS in relation to the development of the LiViD DVD player for open operating systems. What's surprising? It's surprising that they held that his posting of DeCSS was not actionable... (however the use of the program by users to circumvent CSS could be under the DMCA)."

Court room transcript

[MoThugz]

JUDGE: Would that you could render this extermination unnecessary by renouncing this method of illegal decryption!
Pavlovich: No, Your Honor, it cannot be. I don't think much of our profession, but, contrasted with respectability, it is comparatively honest. No, Your Honor, I shall live and die a Pirate King.
(SONG -- PIRATE KING)
Pavlovich: Oh, better far to live and die
Under the flightless bird I fly,
Than play a corporate raider's part
With a pirate head and a pirate heart.
Away to the cheating world go you,
Where pirates all are well-to-do;
But I'll be true to the song I sing,
And live and die a Pirate King.
For I am a Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
For I am a Pirate King!
SLASHDOTTERS:You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
Pavlovich:And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
SLASHDOTTERS:It is!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
(Inserted to avoid lameness filter.)
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
Pavlovich:When I sally forth to seek my prey
I help myself in a royal way.
I rip a few more flicks, it's true,
Than a well-bred hacker ought to do;
But many a hack with a first-class clone,
If he wants to call his warez his own,
Must manage somehow to get through
More lines of code than e'er I do,
For I am a Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
For I am a Pirate King!
SLASHDOTTERS:You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
Pavlovich:And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
SLASHDOTTERS:It is!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
(the lameness filter, to avoid, inserted.)
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
(exeunt.)

it is not illegal to use DeCSS

[the_2nd_coming]

just distribute and talk about it. oops.

very close decision --- too close for comfort

[Anonymous Coward]

I skimmed the actual decision and the most disturbing fact is it was 4:3. There were three dissenters who wanted to rule the other way!

The decision came down to the vote of a single justice who chose the "right" side.

I'll let you draw your own comparisons to the US Supreme Court decision on the Bush vs Gore election of 2000.

WHAT?!

[Mmmrky]

KISSING?! DANCING?!

You do realize this is /. right?

Re:What about Canada here?

[billbaggins]

What if kissing was illegal? Or dancing?

*cue soundtrack to Dirty Dancing*

Re:WHAT?!

[Sheridan]

Tom7 said:-

Kissing is legal .. ??

Of course! ... Wait... You do know you're meant to get consent first, right?

Re:WHAT?!

[JohnDenver]

Of course! ... Wait... You do know you're meant to get consent first, right?

To which the Frenchman replied:

"But of course I got her cunscent! I got her cunscent on my fingers! I got cunscent on my mustache! I got her cunscent everywhere!"

* Don't be a douche and mod it down *