Re: Arbitrary codecs and encryption schemes, was: Re: Encrypted Media proposal (was RE: ISSUE-179: av_param - Chairs Solicit Alternate Proposals or Counter-Proposals)

On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 5:38 AM, Henri Sivonen <hsivonen@iki.fi> wrote:
>> Short of hardware encryption, an encrypted stream is no more special than an
>> arbitrary codec.
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeCSS
>
> They might be legally special in some places.

In particular, it's definitely legally special in the US.  Decoding an
arbitrary codec is always legal, module patent issues.  Decrypting a
stream without permission is illegal, thanks to the DMCA's
anti-circumvention clause.

The two are only the same thing in a vague engineering sense, and even
then there are important details that make them different (namely, the
secret that you have to keep away from the user).

~TJ