Last week began “Five Days of Protest” during which consumers through 321-sponsored www.protectfairuse.org were asked to write, call, e-mail or fax newspaper editors, Hollywood studios and federal lawmakers on the company’s behalf.
The maker of DVD-copying software declared in violation of copyright law honored a judge's decision by offering “ripper-free” versions of its product to retail stores, while simultaneously urging consumers to flood Hollywood and Congress with complaints about their loss of the right to copy legally purchased content.
321 Studios, based in the St. Louis area, is now seeking a stay of the injunction, after selling about a million copies of the controversial DVD Copy Plus and DVD X Copy software nationwide.
The company has argued that its products offers consumers fair use of the movies they’ve bought, including backing up expensive copies of children’s movies in case the originals get scratched.
321 Studios has destroyed tens of thousands of units of the original DVD X COPY.
Last week began “Five Days of Protest” during which consumers through 321-sponsored www.protectfairuse.org were asked to write, call, e-mail or fax newspaper editors, Hollywood studios and federal lawmakers on the company’s behalf.
“It’s to let these people know we’re law-abiding citizens, not a bunch of pirates,” said Robert Moore, 321’s president and founder. “This (software) is for making fair use of legally acquired digital property, for doing what we want to do with our own stuff. Apparently, that message has not gotten across.”
Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, has suggested that consumers have no legitimate need for such software. He told The Associated Press in November: “If you buy a DVD you have a copy. If you want a backup copy you buy another one.”
