www.detnews.com/2002/technology/0205/04/technology-481430.htm
Use of this site indicates your agreement to the 90 Terms of Service (updated 08/09/2001). Eick in Los Angeles is unusual, and possibly unprecedented, in that it requires Sonicblue Inc. Sought by a group of Hollywood studios and TV networks, Eick's order represents the latest front in a high-stakes battle between technology companies and copyright holders over what consumers can and cannot do with digital devices. The studios and networks claim the ReplayTV 4000 has two features that violate copyrights: It can send recorded programs to other Replay units over the Internet, and it can skip commercials automatically as it plays back recordings. Representatives of Viacom and Disney said they weren't trying to spy on the public but simply trying to gather the data needed to protect copyrighted programs. But officials at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Privacy Foundation and the Consumer Electronics Association expressed outrage at the order, saying it posed serious risks to the public. Sonicblue plans to appeal Eick's order, and EFF and EPIC plan to support the appeal. Although the order calls for Sonicblue to turn over the data with random numbers in place of viewers' names, Gray said the anonymity could be lost later if the plaintiffs decided to demand the names. Viacom spokesman Imara Jones stressed that the studios had no interest in the identities of ReplayTV owners, but needed to see "individual use patterns" to build their case. He also noted that Sonicblue's privacy policy says the company collects anonymous data from ReplayTV units about how the devices are used, although Sonicblue representatives say they stopped collecting data long before the new models hit the market.
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