CNN: OSLO, Norway --A Norwegian teenager faces another trial on DVD piracy charges as local officials prepare to appeal against his acquittal earlier this month in a landmark trial brought by major Hollywood studios.

Jon Johansen, dubbed "DVD Jon," was cleared of charges on January 7 when an Oslo court said he had not broken the law by helping unlock a code and distributing a computer program enabling DVD films to be copied.

The Norwegian Economic Crime Unit said on Tuesday it would appeal against the court decision, seen as an important test of copyright protections.

Johansen, 19, created the DeCSS (De Contents Scramble System) program in 1999 when he was 15 so that he could view his DVDs on a Linux machine. DeCSS defeats the copyright protection system known as Contents Scramble System (CSS), which the entertainment industry uses to protect films distributed on DVDs.

But Johansen argued that since he owned the DVDs, he should be able to view them as he liked, preferably on his own computer. The court, citing consumer laws which protect consumers' fair use of their own property, agreed.  more...

24 January 2003  |   permalink