The five individuals are being represented by civil liberties
group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) which filed a
federal lawsuit in Los Angeles asking the court to rule that their
use of the ReplayTV device is legal under copyright law. The
lawsuit names AOL Time Warner, Disney, News Corporation and Viacom
among others. Studio representatives had accused the users of
Replay TV of theft.
"The studios are using their copyrights as an excuse to control
what individuals do with their own property in the privacy of their
own homes," said EFF lawyer Robin Gross.
"Rather than encourage innovation and provide customers with an
experience worthy of attention, Hollywood intends to outlaw a new
and promising technology," added his colleague, Fred von Lohmann.
"It's just as alarming as the Betamax case of the 1980s when
Hollywood tried to ban VCRs."
Last October, dozens of Hollywood movie and television studios
sued ReplayTV’s maker, SonicBlue for making and distributing
personal video recorders, claiming that consumers' use of such
devices constitutes copyright violation and seeking a broad
injunction that would prevent the further use, support, or sale of
the machines.
