Since Packman packages a lot of stuff that’s also available from Videolan such as VLC, I wonder why libdvdcss isn’t packaged as well? That would surely simplify repository management as we would just advise people who want multimedia to work to go fetch stuff from Packman and never ever activate the Videolan repo. Is there a technical reason for not including libdvdcss in Packman, or is it just something that was never brought up?
Considering my involvement with this subject area, I guess I should know, but I don’t.
I guess someone will.
Hi
From IRC #packman;
<malcolmlewis> Hi, someone on the forum has asked why libdvdcss isn't
built by packman? Legal?
<anubisg1> malcolmlewis, exactly
<anubisg1> same reason why is not provided by official repos.. most of
the mirrors are in germany
<malcolmlewis> anubisg1: Thanks, will advise ;)
Because it changes once in a blue moon, I just have a src rpm and then
rebuild it on the release I’m running and install manually.
–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.3 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.34-12-default
up 1 day 21:14, 3 users, load average: 0.81, 0.49, 0.24
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - Driver Version: 256.44
legal reasons.
i am not sure if it is allowed to write that awful word in a openSUSE forum.
If you like being ticked off, read Win7’s EULA, the printing/fonts topics are nice…
Hmm. You asked a leading question and got the obvious answer from Packman. So does that mean that all of Packman’s stuff, codecs etc are “legally” distributed via packman (in German repos)? Something doesn’t quite add up there…
I don’t know what German laws are with regard to the codecs, but the algorithm of libdvdcss is explicitly banned in some countries. People use it at their own risk.
Hi
Depends of the laws of the country it’s being used in AFAIK. I use
libdvdcss for handbrake, then use fluendo codecs on my systems here
–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.3 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.34-12-default
up 2 days 19:19, 2 users, load average: 0.11, 0.18, 0.11
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - Driver Version: 256.44
chief sealth wrote:
> I don’t know what German laws are with regard to the codecs, but the
> algorithm of libdvdcss is explicitly banned in some countries. People
> use it at their own risk.
is there a list of what at packman is legal/illegal where?
–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]
I still haven’t installed this on my current install. I am avoiding the contortions because I have a DVD player that is also hooked to my monitor. I hate fuzzy yellow subtitles though.
Indeed you do, Malcolm. How could I possibly forget that.
During my career, I learned a useful lesson. When anyone uses the phrase “legal reasons”, ask for the source/proof of the claim.
I think in the US it is allowed for personal use.
Especially regarding the jailbreak issue that came up.
Read this [NPR] which is a transcript that explains it a little.
New Ruling Says Users Can Hack Their iPhones : NPR
If you own, you may be a able to legally copy it for your own use.
In germany i think the law is actually tougher, since the GEMA has more leverage in the legal matters.
Never checked for the lib really since i assumed its installed with the 1click install.
At least i can rip my medium with handbrake.
Funny. Somehow Kaffeine plays DVDs fine with just one non Novel controlled repo enabled.
Seems I should get a copy of libdvdcss free for Linux as I have a bought and paid for DVD drive in my computer. I also have a video card that supposedly decodes most codecs natively which would apply to most codecs I should get free copies of them for Linux too. I guess it would be trivial to play back a DVD files without a DVD drive but most people wouldn’t.
I am for drowning 85% of that Lawyers in the USA and a significant portion of them in the rest of the world and most of these artificial legal problems would go away.
I just like to add, that in germany everything you buy there, you pay a portion of it to the GEMA. CD,DVD, Players etc… on everything the GEMA is involved. Not sure how it is like here in the U.S. or anywhere else.
So you pay already in advance for license without even using anthing that matters legaly.
I’m not a lawyer, but I think the reason why codecs are packed up in Packman, but libdvdcss is not, is that software patents in Germany are banned (many patents on the codecs have no effect), but libdvdcss breaks the rules of copyrights as it is actively decrypting data, that is encrypted for copy-protection reasons.
Just search for “german hacker law” in Google. Isn’t related to copyright but to an specific cyber-security law.
This was already discussed: Move build servers out of Germany?
True. Crazy germans 
This has nothing to do with patents or the GEMA or anything like that. Akoellh has provided a →link which explains the dilemma, but obviously nobody in here cares to read it or learn German to understand it (beats me why, but anyway).
libdvdcss is theoretically regarded as a copy-protection and german law forbids bypassing those. Technically and actually it is rather a playing-protection as it does not really prevents a DVD being copied, but being played on certain hardware (like your common DVD drive). Either way, no german court has decided yet whether libdvdcss should be regarded as a copy-protection (so far no one has actually been sued for using it), therefore the whole thing is a bit unsure. Packman of course in no way wants to take the risk, as distributing libdvdcss is another level than just using it in private.
Akoellhs link also gives us a solution, the libdvdcss2-1.2.10-0.pm.0.nosrc.rpm, which does not provide the actual code / binary, but will download, compile and install it.