The right to copy

Most consumers feel that when they buy a music CD, they have the right to rip the music off of the disc and put it on their computer(s) or their mp3 player(s). There exists plenty of free software to do just that. The entertainment industry doesn't make a huge deal about this task, but they do occasionally put root-kits on their CDs or copy protection which your CD-ripping software may or may not be able to circumvent. Oh and by the way, if there's circumvention going on - it's technically illegal thanks to the American DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and if the Conservatives have their way, thanks to the Canadian Bill C-61 (soon to be tabled again - assuming there's no election on the horizon).

Now consumers are also seeing the benefit of being able to rip movies from their legally bought DVDs onto their computer(s) or portable devices. But pretty much every commercial DVD has copy protection on it. This makes all DVD ripping software illegal by the terms of the DMCA, which forced software companies like RealNetworks to remove titles like RealDVD off of store shelves. This isn't only unfair for consumers, it's a waste of time when you consider that there are plenty of freely available alternatives on the internet that will do the job as well, with no enforceable law to stop them.

Anyway, RealNetworks is in court trying to get a judge to reverse a prior decision and allow the software to be sold in the US. It's a real battle (no pun intended) with the studios. Read more about it here.