Real Networks has sent the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) into a tizz by releasing software that lets people copy films on DVDs.

The MPAA rushed into a federal court in Los Angeles and filed a lawsuit demanding that Real Networks be stopped from distributing its Real DVD software, and insisted they pay huge wodges of cash for even thinking about the idea. Almost foaming at the mouth, MPAA general counsel Greg Goeckner said Real Networks' Real DVD should be called Steal DVD.  He said that Real Networks knows its product violates the law and undermines the hard-won trust that has been growing between America's movie makers and the technology community.

However, Real Networks says that it will file legal paperwork asking the court to rule that the software enabling people to copy movie DVDs is legal because it complies with a DVD Copy Control Association licence agreement. It said it took this legal action to protect consumers' ability to exercise their fair-use rights for their purchased DVDs.

A spokesman for Real Networks said that the outfit was disappointed that the movie industry is following in the footsteps of the music industry and trying to shut down advances in technology, rather than embracing changes that provide consumers with more value and flexibility for their purchases.

The MPAA claims that Real DVD violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act because the software "illegally" bypasses copyright protection built into DVDs to protect against piracy. This means that punters will be able to rent a movie, rip it off using the software and then return it.

Real Networks says that Real DVD maintains original copyright protections on copied films and essentially "locks" duplicate DVDs to people's computers to prevent improper sharing. X

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