March 2016 – Page 63 – news.buyenne.com

Warner Bros and Intel Sued Over Defamatory 4K Piracy Claims

LegendSky, a hardware manufacturer that creates devices enabling consumers to bypass 4K copy protection, has lodged several counterclaims against Warner Bros. and Intel daughter company Digital Content Protection (DCP). The Chinese company accuses DCP of defamation and monopolization, while demanding compensation for the damages it has suffered.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Earlier this year, Warner Bros. and Intel daughter company Digital Content Protection (DCP) filed a lawsuit against LegendSky, accusing it of violating the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions.

LegendSky is the maker of HDFury devices which allow users to “strip” the latest HDCP encryption, according to the complaint.

This makes it much easier for pirates to circumvent the stronger HDCP content protection and release pirated copies of 4K films and series. Late last year several 4K leaks started to appear online, right after the HDFury devices went on sale.

However, the Chinese company fiercely rejects these piracy claims and has launched a counterattack in a New York federal court this week. LegendSky explains that their devices are not “stripping” any HDCP copy protection.

Instead, the HDFury devices merely convert newer versions of HDCP to older versions, such HDCP 1.4. These conversions are permitted by the DMCA as a fair use exception when they are used connect two separate computer programs.

In addition, DCP’s own license agreement specifically permits licensees to convert HDCP copy protection, the company informs the court.

In their counterclaim (pdf) LegendSky notes that several HDCP licensees including Netflix, Disney, NBC and CBS have bought their devices for legitimate purposes. “And yet Plaintiff alleges that HDFury Devices are nothing more than “strippers,” the company adds.

NBC and others use HDFury

dcpinvoic

LegendSky states that DCP’s lawsuit is an illegitimate attempt to keep its licensing monopoly intact, and the company is now countersuing the Warner and Intel daughter company for monopolization.

“Plaintiffs’ Complaint is a sham. They know, or should know, that Plaintiff DCP’s licensees, including Netflix, use HDFury Devices to convert newer to older versions of HDCP so as to enable interoperability between devices.”

“In reality, then, the Complaint is a bludgeon to use against Defendant so as to unlawfully expand the scope of Plaintiffs’ copyright monopolies, and protect Plaintiff DCP’s HDCP monopoly licensing rents in the relevant market..,” LegendSky adds.

In addition, DCP is also being sued for defamation after painting LegendSky and its customers as criminals.

“Plaintiffs have, either directly or indirectly, made knowing false statements of fact to third parties wherein they have painted Defendant as a criminal enterprise releasing the HDFury Devices with no other intent than to steal and pirate copyrighted materials,” they write.

“These imputations of intentional criminality have injured Defendant’s reputation and standing in this District,” the counterclaim adds.

The Chinese hardware manufacturer is asking the court to dismiss the original complaint and award damages and penalties against DCP, where appropriate.

Given LegendSky’s strong reply, this case could get very interesting. While there is no doubt that pirates can use HDFury devices to downgrade HDCP copy protection to a more easily crackable version, the devices also have plenty of legitimate uses.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

NSA-Ausschuss: Steinmeier verteidigt Kooperation mit US-Geheimdiensten

Der frühere Kanzleramtschef Steinmeier hat 2001 die Grundlage für die BND-Kooperation mit der NSA gelegt. Vor dem NSA-Ausschuss des Bundestags wies er nun jede Kritik an deren Resultaten zurück. “Überrascht” zeigte er sich von anderen BND-Aktivitäten. (Politik/Recht, Datenschutz)

Der frühere Kanzleramtschef Steinmeier hat 2001 die Grundlage für die BND-Kooperation mit der NSA gelegt. Vor dem NSA-Ausschuss des Bundestags wies er nun jede Kritik an deren Resultaten zurück. "Überrascht" zeigte er sich von anderen BND-Aktivitäten. (Politik/Recht, Datenschutz)

Helio X25: Mediateks neuer Triple-Cluster-Chip läuft mit 2,5 GHz

Bis zum Helio X30 dauert es noch, also erscheint zuerst der Helio X25: Mediateks neues SoC für Smartphones ist ein höher taktender Helio X20, zumindest die GPU-Frequenz steigt ein bisschen. (Mediatek, Smartphone)

Deals of the Day (3-17-2016)

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is a smartphone an outlier in today’s smartphone space: it has a small screen, but top-tier specs, including a 23Mp camera and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. Sure, there was a time when a smartphone with a 4.6 inch screen would have been considered huge… but those days are long […]

Deals of the Day (3-17-2016) is a post from: Liliputing

Oculus co-founder: Hand-tracking controllers were never part of launch plan

Luckey didn’t want to bundle “controllers [people] might not even be interested in.”

Oculus says it never intended for you to be able to replicate this scene at the Rift's launch.

When the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR launch in April and October, respectively, the headsets will feature accompanying controllers that track the user's hands through space. The launch of the Oculus Rift this month, though, won't include the similar Oculus Touch controllers, which are currently slated for the second half of 2016.

Now, Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey tells Ars that the Touch controllers aren't a missing piece for the Rift's big March 28 roll out, but that the company always intended for things to be this way.

"We never planned on launching Touch with Rift," Luckey said during a roundtable discussion at the Game Developers Conference. "We're going to have a really great Touch lineup later in the year, but we really wanted to focus on the games people have been working on for years with gamepads right now."

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Hoax: Uber driver accused of murder spree didn’t sue Uber for $10 million

Authorities said handwritten lawsuit targeting ride-sharing service was a fake.

Days ago, we reported on the Uber driver who said that he killed six people and tried to kill two others in Michigan because a "devil figure" in the Uber app made him do it.

Jason Dalton.

Then it appeared that 45-year-old defendant Jason Dalton was singing a different tune, instead blaming the murder spree on Uber management. At least that's what a federal lawsuit lodged under his name would have us believe. But on Thursday, Michigan authorities said the lawsuit—which touched on key complaints from Uber drivers who don't get overtime, sick pay, or health benefits—was a cruel hoax.

The suit, lodged in Michigan federal court, was handwritten, named Dalton as the plaintiff, and listed the Kalamazoo County Jail as the return address. But what tipped off the authorities was that the suit, mailed to the Eastern District Of Michigan court in Detroit, was postmarked in Philadelphia.

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Senator asks Pentagon to investigate “troubling” launch contracts

Inquiry comes after ULA official said his company couldn’t compete with SpaceX.

Sen. McCain asks questions at a Senate Armed Services Committee in 2014. (credit: Department of Defense)

On Wednesday, a senior executive with United Launch Alliance said the US military "bent over backwards" to favor the Colorado-based rocket company in the bidding process for national security payload launches. On Thursday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, asked Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to investigate these comments.

"Let me just say that yesterday disturbing statements made by a senior executive of the United Launch Alliance were reported in the media," McCain said at the onset of a committee hearing Thursday morning. "These statements raise troubling questions about the nature of the relationship between the Department of Defense and ULA. This committee treats with the utmost seriousness and implication that the department showed favoritism to a major defense contractor or that efforts have been made to silence members of congress. Mr. Secretary, I expect that you will make a full investigation into these statements and take action wherever appropriate."

McCain was referring to comments made by Brett Tobey, a vice president of engineering for United Launch Alliance, during a seminar with students at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Tobey has since resigned, effective immediately, and ULA chief executive Tory Bruno has said Tobey's comments were "inaccurate."

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Researchers are brewing up medicines from beer hops

Untapped chemicals in bitter buds may treat inflammation, infections, cancer.

(credit: Paul Miller)

While beer connoisseurs have mixed and heated opinions about the trend of ever-more hoppy beers, some researchers just can’t get enough of the bitter buds.

Their keen interest stems from the potentially untapped medicinal properties of the flowers. Traditional medicine has long used hops for everything from sedation to combatting infections. And researchers have noted that the plant’s chemical constituents appear to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-cancer activities. Yet chemists are still working out all the chemicals responsible for the potentially therapeutic effects and how to use them to brew up new medicines.

Now, with two new studies, researchers report that they’re getting closer to pinning down and optimizing hop-based medicines.

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Microsofts Suchmaschine: Bing sagt Fußballergebnisse voraus

Microsoft hat seiner Suchmaschine eine neue Funktion in Deutschland verpasst: Bing sagt jetzt auch Fußballergebnisse voraus. Nicht nur für die Bundesliga, auch für Champions-League-Spiele und andere europäische Ligen berechnet Bing die Gewinnwahrscheinlichkeiten. (Bing, Microsoft)

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S launches for $899

Samsung’s new 2-in-1 Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard and support for an optional Bluetooth pen goes on sale this week. The company introduced the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S at CES in January, promising it’d be available in February. Better late than never. The tablet will be available from Best Buy starting March 18th. The […]

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S launches for $899 is a post from: Liliputing