The idea was to get a little sense into a bitter dispute between DVD producers and open-source advocates at loggerheads over software that can break the DVD security codes. LinuxWorld thought to host an open forum between the Motion Picture Association and defenders of DeCSS Feb. 4 - but the problem was, the MPAA didn't show up.
The forum organizers had hoped MPAA attorneys Proskauer, Rose would appear, but they "had to settle" for Washington-based attorney Mark Traphagen, who worked for the software industry extensively during the draft of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, says Wired.
Exhanges became heated, the magazine said, prompting organizer Karsten Self to tell the audience Traphagen was "here as a devil's advocate, not as the devil himself."
Over one hundred people were present and ready to blast the film industry. One panelist who thought the forum still worked out decently was the American Civil Liberties Union's associate director, Barry Steinhardt. "Today really made it clear that this case is not about piracy, but about the ability of Linux users to play DVDs on their machine," Steinhardt told the forum. "As one participant put it, 'I just want to play a movie on my computer.'"
Other discussion centered around the question of whether the MPAA - which has sued in federal court to stop Web sites posting DeCSS links - isn't shooting itself in the foot by blocking cryptographic research innovation. And various panelists and audience members all but admitted there was a distinct lack of evidence of DVD movies copied with DeCSS.
