The battle over DVD ripping software is set to take another turn with Real Networks who last year were stopped from selling a US $29.95 software package being given a court date to defend the lawfulness of its package on April 24 before a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco.

The battle over DVD ripping software is set to take another turn with Real Networks who last year were stopped from selling a US $29.95 software package being given a court date to defend the lawfulness of its package on April 24 before a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco.

Last year a judge placed a temporary restraining order on the sale of Real Networks software which copies movie DVDs to a PC’s hard drive for storage and playback. Up to four additional PCs can be registered with Real at a cost of $19.99 each to play copies saved to an external USB hard drive.

TWICE Magazine in the USA said RealNetworks is defending the software from a lawsuit filed late last year by the movie industry, which contends the software violates the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). The studios fear the software, and by inference DVD-copying movie servers for the home, will encourage consumers to copy rented and borrowed DVDs and thus harm the studios’ DVD rental and sales income.

Last October, the district court judge imposed a temporary restraining order that prevents Real from marketing the software until she decides on a movie-studio request for a preliminary injunction. That injunction would prevent sales while the judge hears the suit’s merits. In their suit, the studios seek damages and a permanent injunction against sales.

The Chairman of Real Networks contends that consumers “have the right to make a secure copy” that can’t be shared on a P2P file-sharing network.