DeCSS Ruled Not A Trade Secret
from the good-news dept
Last month, realizing they were going to lose the case, the folks in Hollywood tried to back out of their case against Andrew Bunner, who they had sued for simply posting a copy of the (widely available) DeCSS code on his website. However, Bunner asked that the court continue the case, because he knew that it would set an important precedent. Good for him. Even better, because he’s now won the case. Among the good quotes: “Under DVD CCA’s construction of the law, in such a case the general public could theoretically be liable for misappropriation simply by disclosing it to someone else. This is not what trade secret law is designed to do.” Well, it’s certainly good to see an actual ruling come out on this case, rather than have it shut down once Hollywood realized they would lose. Precedent is a powerful thing.
