MacTheRipper
MacTheRipperis aMac OS Xapplication that enables users to create a playable copy of the contents of aVideo DVDby defeating theContent Scramble System.During this process it may optionally modify or disable theDVD region codeor theUser operation prohibitionfeatures of the copied data. The previous lack of an OS X equivalent to the PC softwareDVDShrinkgave this standaloneDVD ripperwidespread popularity amongMacintoshusers.
The current public release is version 2.6.6. The latest version, v4.2.7, is available at the MTR-4 forum, which is accessible only after a registration with, and an approval from, an administrator.[1]Even documentation such as pricing (it's no longer free) and the FAQ are locked off.
Legal issues
[edit]Previous releases of MacTheRipper violated theGNU General Public License(GPL) of the libdvdread andlibdvdcsssoftware libraries, on which MacTheRipper is built.[2][3]However, with MacTheRipper 4 and newer the libdvdread and libdvdcss libraries are distributed separately and must be installed separately for MacTheRipper to work.
The creation and distribution of MacTheRipper may violate theanti-circumventionlaws which theU.S.andEUhave adopted as part of theWIPO Copyright Treaty.In a case against the maker of a program similar to MacTheRipper, the court found that "the downstream uses of the software [...], whether legal or illegal, are not relevant to determining whether [the manufacturer] itself is violating the statute."[4]In that case and others that followed it, the court foundthe software manufacturerin violation of theDMCA.[5]
See also
[edit]- DVD ripping:an article about extracting the content of DVD, CD, and Blu-ray discs
- HandBrake:a freeopen-sourcetranscoder application for converting DVD content into other formats
References
[edit]- ^"MTR • Index page".
- ^libdvdcss-devel mailing listA user notes the use of libdvdcss in a closed-source project.
- ^Jon Lech Johansen's BlogDeCSSauthor notes GPL code used in MacTheRipper, MacTheRipper author responds
- ^321 Studios v. MGM OrderArchived2008-10-26 at theWayback MachineCourt Decision in case against321 Studios,the makers of PC software similar to MacTheRipper
- ^321 Studios Shuts Its DoorsWired Newsarticle about the entertainment industry lawsuits that forced321 Studiosto shut down