DMCA test case dismissed

The suit many hoped would be a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) test case, has been thrown out of court by a US federal judge.

The suit many hoped would be a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) test case, has been thrown out of court by a US federal judge.

The case stemmed from incidents surrounding the Secure Digital Music Initiative competition of late last year, where the computing community was invited to crack or bypass several different Digital Rights Management schemes proposed for use with online music formats.

$USD10,000 was on offer for anyone who could crack the DRM methods. To be eligible for the prize, contestants were required to agree to a Non Disclosure Agreement regarding the methods they used. However, it was still possible to participate without agreeing to the NDA.

All DRM methods included in the SDMI challenge were bypassed.

When scientists who participated in the challenge (but who had not signed the NDA) attempted to publish their research on the DRM techniques used, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) threatened both the researchers and their university with legal action under the DMCA.

Subsequently, the researchers held off publishing their data, angering many free speech advocates in the process. However, there was method to their madness – the Electronic Frontiers Foundation stepped in, suing the RIAA over use of the DCMA to stifle publication of legitimate research.