Sima and Interburn sued by Macrovision

James Delahunty
18 Jun 2005 8:35

Macrovision, one of the largest creators of copy protections and DRM technologies has filed a suit against Sima Products Corporation and Interburn Enterprises Inc. It accuses both of selling products that allows consumers to make copies of copyrighted DVDs, infringes Macrovision’s patented technology and violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It targets Sima's "Video Enhancers". At least one Sima product mentioned for example is marketed under the name CT-200 (see below).
It is simply advertised as a way to assist in converting your private collection of VHS and DVD originals to DVD. It also has a disclaimer that Macrovision may have forgotten to mention that reads...

Use of these products for unauthorized duplication of copyrighted material from DVD, VHS or other media is prohibited under federal copyright laws. These products are intended for use in a manner consistent with and permissible by the fair use provisions of federal copyright laws.

"Sima and Interburn infringe Macrovision's intellectual property by offering products that enable users to make unauthorized copies of copyrighted content by illegally removing our copy protection system," said Macrovision CEO Bill Krepick. "The Sima and Interburn products have very limited commercial uses other than to circumvent Macrovision's copy protection technology and are marketed by Sima and Interburn for use in copying DVD's, among other types of media. The Sima/Interburn lawsuit is based on a fundamental cornerstone of the American economic system - protection of intellectual capital."
Interburn on the other hand sells software capable of cracking the copy protection on DVDs, allowing you to make personal backups which are completely legal in most countries. However, Macrovision is determined to put a stop to the sales from both sides. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. Macrovision is asking the court to order an immediate halt to sales of Sima's "video enhancer" products and Interburn's CD/DVD copying products.

Source:
Business Wire