California man who posted DeCSS software online is protected by free speech, judges rule.
In a closely watched case concerning a DVD-cracking tool that has been distributed over the Internet, a California appeals court has reversed a 4-year-old order banning the publication of the computer code that can be used to copy DVDs.
California's Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 1999 injunction favoring the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA), which had filed a lawsuit against California resident Andrew Bunner, accusing him of violating its intellectual property rights by posting DeCSS (De-Content Scrambling System) software on his Web site.
PC WORLD