Ve Vill Make You Block

Filed in archive Companies , Legal on July 25, 2007

Media Rights Technologies (MRT) and BlueBeat, which develop and distribute software that blocks unauthorized streaming media recording, have served cease and desist letters to Apple, RealNetworks, Adobe, and Microsoft. They claim that "Under the DMCA, mere avoidance of an effective copyright protection solution is a violation of the act."

This is a different spin on the DMCA. Typically it's entertainment companies claiming they've been directly harmed. Even if MRT WINS, it hasn't been directly damaged. Suing large companies with deep pockets on a questionable legal matter is a dubious and expensive strategy. But it does score PR points and open the possibility of a negotiated settlement.