Why AACS Matters?
As a freelance writer for a local media
centered on PC software, and at the same time, a movie enthusiast who has a hobby
of collecting commercial DVDs and Blu-rays, I kept my eyes open in the past two
years on the battles between AACS LA and several DVD/Blu-ray backup solution
providers.
On Feb. 21, a court in St. John's, Antigua
and Barbuda, found Giancarlo Bettini, owner and founder of SlySoft that
develops the reputed AACS-circumvention software AnyDVD HD, guilty of violating
the nation's copyright law, and was finally fined $30,000, marking an end to
the 2 year + battle between AACS LA and SlySoft. SlySoft is not new to most guys, like me, who
make backup copies of his/her DVD & Blu-ray collections quite often, but who
the hell is AACS?
Who
is AACS and Why It Matters?
AACS, the short for the Advanced Access
Content System, is the next generation successor to the Content Scramble
System, the digital rights management mechanism used by commercial DVDs. It is a
standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to
restrict access to and copying of content on optical discs (like commercial HD
DVDs and later Blu-rays) and other digital media. It is developed by AACS LA (AACS
Licensing Administrator LLC) and a super large consortium including Disney,
Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony. AACS uses
cryptography to control and restrict the use of digital media. It encrypts content
under one or more title keys using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
Title keys are decrypted using a combination of a media key (encoded in a Media
Key Block) and the Volume ID of the media (e.g., a physical serial number
embedded on a pre-recorded disc).
To make it short and plain, the intention
of AACS is to prevent people from replicating the content on the commercial movie
DVDs and Blu-rays, and many other copyrighted materials. This is exactly the
reason why AACS matters much to those who have the needs to make backup copies
of their legally purchased movie DVDs and Blu-rays, even under the name of
private purpose only, because, as AACS may like to address it, it potentially
encourages piracy. This is also why, mentioned at the very beginning of this
article, SlySoft (AnyDVD HD) was eyed by AACS LA.
Where
There Is Demand, There Is Market.
Where there is demand, there is market. The
fact is, since the implementation of AACS, the attempt to crack or circumvent
it (remove AACS copy protections), has never stopped, because people believe
that what AACS LA is doing is totally unfair. As consumers, they have purchased
the movie DVDs or Blu-rays with their blood-earned money, which means they
totally own their properties, and they have the undoubted right to make backup
copies for private home purposes. This is also where and when application tools
like AnyDVD HD kick in.
As a matter of fact, there are many similar
products in the market that offer one way or another to circumvent or remove AACS
copy protections. Besides SlySoft, there are still many other contenders like DVDFab
Blu-ray Copy from the China-based DVDFab Software Inc., 1Click Blu-ray Copy from
the Canada-based LG Software Innovations, and the Blu-ray ripping tools from Aiseesoft,
another Chinese developer, also offer very eye-catching solutions.
Did Anyone
Survive AACS LA’s Wiping out Storm?
No doubt that AACS LA will take counteractions
sooner or later. The only difference is that people did not expect it that
quick. Not long after SlySoft was $30,000, DVDFab unfortunately became the next
target of AACS, whose case is still ongoing. What happened next was the Domino
effect, LG Software Innovations announced that it would discontinue its 1Click
Blu-ray Copy, and Aiseesoft also quietly removed its DVD and Blu-ray ripping
software from its web site. However, quite a few movie lovers, me included, discovered
a very ironical thing that, despite being fined $30,000, it seemed that SlySoft
was not seriously affected and its AnyDVD HD (79 EUR for a
two-year license) was still available at least while I was drafting this
article. Also, another FREE Addon called
WoooKao, a Windows-based driver that works
on-the-fly, was found capable of removing AACS encryptions. Based on my
personal tests, I found this FREE Addon allows me to freely access and watch
all my commercial DVD/Blu-ray discs from my PC optical drive, even let me make
copies using it together with other copying or burning applications without
decryption feature. This does sound good to guys like me. Hopefully, it will
not become the next attacking target of AACS LA.
