Tweet
Warner Bros. and Intel's lawsuit against a Chinese company that makes the HDFury devices has just been turned on its head, with the Chinese firm countersuing.
Warner and Intel sued LegendSky for making HDMI and DisplayPort devices that bypass the HDCP copy protection present, to allow for video capturing and conversion. While the initial lawsuit seemed fairly straight forward, especially after a spate of 4K rips flooded the torrent scene, rips that were eventually traced back to one of LegendSky's devices.
But LegendSky has hit back, claiming that the assertions made in the original lawsuit are simply not true, and that their devices do not strip HDCP protection at all.
Instead, LegendSky explains via their counterclaim, their HDFury devices merely convert the tough to strip newer HDCP versions to HDCP 1.4, which has been cracked since at least 2010.
LegendSky asserts that this type of conversion is actually allowed under the HDCP licensing agreement. Interestingly, LegendSky also notes that serveral HDCP licensees, including Netflix, Disney, NBC and CBS, have purchased HDFury devices for legitimate purposes.
According to LegendSky, the real reasons for the lawsuit has nothing to do with piracy, and more to do with the bottom line.
"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 writes in their counterclaim.
LegendSky has asked the court to dismiss the original complaint, and has even gone as far as asking for damages and penalties to be awarded against the plaintiffs.
Warner and Intel sued LegendSky for making HDMI and DisplayPort devices that bypass the HDCP copy protection present, to allow for video capturing and conversion. While the initial lawsuit seemed fairly straight forward, especially after a spate of 4K rips flooded the torrent scene, rips that were eventually traced back to one of LegendSky's devices.
But LegendSky has hit back, claiming that the assertions made in the original lawsuit are simply not true, and that their devices do not strip HDCP protection at all.
Instead, LegendSky explains via their counterclaim, their HDFury devices merely convert the tough to strip newer HDCP versions to HDCP 1.4, which has been cracked since at least 2010.
LegendSky asserts that this type of conversion is actually allowed under the HDCP licensing agreement. Interestingly, LegendSky also notes that serveral HDCP licensees, including Netflix, Disney, NBC and CBS, have purchased HDFury devices for legitimate purposes.
According to LegendSky, the real reasons for the lawsuit has nothing to do with piracy, and more to do with the bottom line.
"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 writes in their counterclaim.
LegendSky has asked the court to dismiss the original complaint, and has even gone as far as asking for damages and penalties to be awarded against the plaintiffs.