b.cognosco

[...] Head judge Irene Sogn, in reading the verdict, said no one could be convicted of breaking into their own property, and that there was no proof that Johansen or others had used the program to access illegal pirate copies of films.

''The court finds that someone who buys a DVD film that has been legally produced has legal access the film. Something else would apply if the film had been an illegal ... pirate copy,'' the ruling said.

The attempt here by the government -- to show that Johansen had violated laws and cheated the MPAA by viewing his own movie on his own equipment -- shows the depravity of the MPAA/RIAA position. Their war is not against piracy -- it is against users, legal or not. They're seeking a position of unequivocal control over how, when, where, and why users view films or listen to music. No right-thinking individual can support that. The industry is entitled to add or subtract functionality to any or all of its products, in any manner it sees fit. But it can never be allowed to eliminate competition by fiat, or dictate the way users access legally purchased property.

Jon Johansen acquitted!. Jon Johansen, the Norwegian teenager who helped develop DeCSS -- a piece of software that allowed him to watch the DVDs he'd bought in France on the DVD player he'd bought in Norway -- has finally been acquitted. Pending appeal.

The three-member Oslo City Court found Johansen, now 19 and a household name as DVD-Jon in Norway, innocent on all counts in a unanimous 25-page ruling in the latest setback for the film industry's drive to prevent film copying.

''I'm very satisfied. We won support on all points. I had figured that we could win, but it can go either way,'' said Johansen after the verdict was read out.

The prosecution said it would decide in the next two weeks whether to appeal. Johansen said he expects another round because this is the first such case in Norway...

Prosecutors had called for a 90-day suspended jail sentence, confiscation of computer equipment and court costs, all of which were rejected in the ruling.

(Thanks, Jim!) [Boing Boing Blog]