How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

xenobrain · 2009-08-10 15:49:10

I'm currently evaluating Arch for possible desktop deployment at local business. While I have figured out how to deal with most of the issues with deploying Arch in the workplace, there is one thing that is proving difficult to reconcile - the DMCA. Things like mp3 playback, dvd codecs, etc, seem well integrated into Arch, and their packages are not clearly marked as being in violation of US law.

What I need to know is what codecs and packages available in Arch are non-compliant so I can decide if they need to be licensed or not. My current plan is to maintain a local repository for the business with the intention of testing stability of updates before sending them down the line and to blacklist certain packages as necessary in my rsync scripts.

Thank you for any advice you can provide!

murffatksig · 2009-08-10 19:20:49

xenobrain wrote:

Things like mp3 playback, dvd codecs, etc, seem well integrated into Arch, and their packages are not clearly marked as being in violation of US law.
What I need to know is what codecs and packages available in Arch are non-compliant so I can decide if they need to be licensed or not.!

I may be wrong, but I think the Arch philosophy of "Keep it simple stupid" would leave this responsibility up to the user. Having said that, maybe someone out there has come across this issue before and created a repo or list of software that is non-compliant already.

Pierre · 2009-08-10 19:35:31

If you are talking about software patents its just not possible to provide any software which is legal. If its about liceneses the only way I see atm is manually check them. The good thing is that you only have to check those which are tagged with a "custom" license. So its best to make some kind of blacklist here.

amranu · 2009-08-10 19:36:40

The fact that you need to use certified software to play the music/watch the dvds you bought when you also bought the hardware to listen/watch them in the US or you're breaking the law makes me lawl.

hrobeers · 2009-08-10 20:24:58

How is that law in Europe?

(Or especially in Belgium if somebody knows?)

techprophet · 2009-08-10 20:33:19

xenobrain wrote:

I'm currently evaluating Arch for possible desktop deployment at local business. While I have figured out how to deal with most of the issues with deploying Arch in the workplace, there is one thing that is proving difficult to reconcile - the DMCA. Things like mp3 playback, dvd codecs, etc, seem well integrated into Arch, and their packages are not clearly marked as being in violation of US law.
What I need to know is what codecs and packages available in Arch are non-compliant so I can decide if they need to be licensed or not. My current plan is to maintain a local repository for the business with the intention of testing stability of updates before sending them down the line and to blacklist certain packages as necessary in my rsync scripts.
Thank you for any advice you can provide!

DVD codecs are illegal to use, but if it's a workplace, that's only for watching DVD movies, which no one should be doing

As far as burning DVDs, no codecs are required for that. If you use them for backups, you should be fine.

However, no license is needed for private, non-commercial activities (e.g., home-entertainment, receiving broadcasts and creating a personal music library), not generating revenue or other consideration of any kind or for entities with associated annual gross revenue less than US$ 100 000.00.

That paragraph is contained multiple times on this page. Looks like it's legal, since they aren't charging for it.
If worst comes to worst, you could tell people no mp3s and refer them to OGG converters/codecs.

AdrenalineJunky · 2009-08-10 20:39:02

yeah, i believe mp3 playback is legal, as for DVD's, i believe the package that provides that is libdvdcss

skottish · 2009-08-10 21:34:05

Pierre wrote:

If you are talking about software patents its just not possible to provide any software which is legal.

This is true. All codecs (except a few barely functional and basically useless wavelet based technologies) are covered under or break American patent law. And yes, this includes everything from Xiph (vorbis, theora, etc).

xenobrain · 2009-08-10 21:52:42

Thank you for the advice. I was looking at this from a patent angle, mainly. I'm aware of libdvdcss particularly, but a lot of packages in Arch like xine, mplayer, VLC, various gstreamer meta-packages contain patented algorithms for things like windows media codecs and libdvdcss compiled in, all which must be licensed in the US.

I realize I could pretty much just block all media-related packages except a very minimal gstreamer install, but that's the kind of thing other system admins I that know do, and I don't like it. There are legitimate reasons why employees might need some form of media playback, and neither I nor my boss are against the employees responsibly using the computers for a little recreation at lunch or after work.

The license thing is a good idea except many of the aforementioned packages such as VLC report a GPL license.

Anyway thanks again for the help, but I'm getting the feeling that my boss is either going to have to OK a certain amount of legal liability in this instance or we're going to have to hope licensing a pack from fluendo covers our backs, or look elsewhere (I'm looking at OpenSolaris and Debian as well).

Luckily it's a small shop and most of our software is either web based or Java/Swing, so we're pretty free in that regard.

Xyne · 2009-08-10 23:09:45

*barely resists the burning urge to rant about the stupidity of granting algorithm patents... imagine if Newton and Leibniz had been able to do this, let alone Pythagoras*

Trent · 2009-08-11 00:31:48

techprophet wrote:

DVD codecs are illegal to use, but if it's a workplace, that's only for watching DVD movies, which no one should be doing
As far as burning DVDs, no codecs are required for that. If you use them for backups, you should be fine.

I find it hilarious that the DCMA forbids you to circumvent encryption in order to watch a movie, but is perfectly fine with you copying it bit by bit from one DVD to another. What do you know, I can make a million copies of a movie and even host it on the Internet without running afoul of the DCMA, so long as I don't use "unapproved equipment" to watch it. (I would, of course, be in violation of, and subject to prosecution under, US copyright law.)

ngoonee · 2009-08-11 01:04:58

Sorry to go OT, but this is quite hilarious for non-US residents. Its one thing to be worried about using actual software (like Windows or Adobe) or music (belongs to the artiste or the media companies) but to be worried about patents on algorithms and codecs is just too funny...

Back on-topic, I think your 'minimal install without media-related parts' is the best way. You should probably then put some work into making PKGBUILDs of VLC and mplayer (you ARE hosting a custom repo, after all) such that they comply with whatever patent laws exist. Should only be a handful of PKGBUILDs, and you'd just have to monitor the upstream (meaning Arch repos) packages and up version numbers if and when necessary.

Heller_Barde · 2009-08-11 08:36:37

the other question is of course, how expensive are the licenses for these algorithms and codecs (if you can acquire them without buying some silly software with it). maybe your time spent on recompiling stuff and weeding out packages that violate som silly stupid american law is more expensive then the license. I am by no means an expert, but this just ran through my mind...

cheerio
Phil

PS: I weep for humanity when I look towards "the mightiest military nation" and their silly legal squabbles...

Misfit138 · 2009-08-11 12:46:15

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Arch Linux

#1 2009-08-10 15:49:10

How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#2 2009-08-10 19:20:49

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#3 2009-08-10 19:35:31

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#4 2009-08-10 19:36:40

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#5 2009-08-10 20:24:58

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#6 2009-08-10 20:33:19

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#7 2009-08-10 20:39:02

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#8 2009-08-10 21:34:05

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#9 2009-08-10 21:52:42

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#10 2009-08-10 23:09:45

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#11 2009-08-11 00:31:48

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#12 2009-08-11 01:04:58

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#13 2009-08-11 08:36:37

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

#14 2009-08-11 12:46:15

Re: How can I keep Arch legally compliant?

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