The Motion Picture Association of America filed suit against RealNetworks to stop the sale of software that allowed copying of DVDs. Wired is reporting that a federal judge has ruled that the software likely violates the Digital Millemnium Copyright Act and has barred RealNetworks from further sales. From Judge Renews Decision Barring Sale of DVD-Copying Software:

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, who previously presided over the original Napster litigation, issued a tentative decision in the case on Friday requiring that sales be halted pending a hearing Tuesday. Seattle-based RealNetworks complied, informing customers on its website that, “Due to recent legal action taken by the Hollywood movie studios against us, RealDVD is temporarily unavailable.”

After a three-hour hearing Tuesday, she kept her decision intact so she could have aditional time to learn for sure whether RealDVD circumvents encryption software in violation of the DMCA. RealNetworks claimed that it did not violate any content-scramble system license and that its software, while allowing users to store copies of movies on their hard drives, does not circumvent the content-scramble system on DVDs.

For a less legal explanation, David Kravets likens RealNetwork’s arguments on why they should be allowed to sell the software to a head shop’s claim that its bongs for sale are only for tobacco use in his article Wink Wink: RealNetworks Says Don’t Copy Rented DVDs.

I won’t speculate on the ramifications to consumers except to note that the more ground that is won by corporations on these issues, the fewer options we will have when we finally have an idea of how we want things to run. Other thoughts?