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List:       dmca-discuss
Subject:    [DMCA_discuss] The French Have a Word for It: Hacking
From:       "Jon O." <jono () networkcommand ! com>
Date:       2002-02-26 3:18:13
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The French Have a Word for It: Hacking  
All this American in Paris wants to do is watch some Hollywood movies on his DVD \
player. So why do film studios make him feel like a crook? 

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jan2002/nf20020116_7617.htm

SECRET CODES.  Problem is, the system is a sieve. To keep down engineering and \
manufacturing costs, most makers of DVD players create worldwide models that are \
technically capable of playing disks encoded for any zone, then configure them at the \
last minute to play only DVDs from the area in which the machines are sold. Thanks to \
a pervasive global hacker culture, the Internet abounds with sites providing secret \
codes that you can send to your DVD player through a remote control. The codes fool \
the DVD into playing disks from other zones. 

Is this legal? In some places, yes. In others, maybe not. The law is murky, varying \
from one country to another. While manufacturers don't sanction such downloads or \
describe them in owners' manuals, they seem to turn a blind eye to the practice. \
After all, they're more interested in selling boxes than in protecting the profits of \
moviemakers. One major exception is Sony, which also happens to own a major studio. \
Most of its players can't be re-zoned, even through modifications to the hardware by \
experts. 

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jan2002/nf20020116_7617.htm
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