MacTheRipper
Encyclopedia
MacTheRipper is a Mac OS X
application that enables users to create a playable copy of the contents of a Video DVD by defeating the Content Scramble System
. During this process it may optionally modify or disable the DVD region code
or the User operation prohibition
features of the copied data. The previous lack of an OS X equivalent to the PC software DVDShrink gave this standalone DVD ripper
widespread popularity among Macintosh
users.
The current public release is version 2.6.6. MacTheRipper was developed in 2002 and since that time, it has had over two million users. The latest release is v4.1.5, available for download from the MTB-4 forum, a forum only available after registering and getting approved by an administrator.. Even documentation such as pricing (it's no longer free) and the FAQ is locked off.
(GPL) of the libdvdread and Libdvdcss
software libraries, on which MacTheRipper is built.
The creation and distribution of MacTheRipper may violate the anti-circumvention
laws which the U.S.
and EU have adopted as part of the WIPO Copyright Treaty. In a case against the maker of a program similar to MacTheRipper, the court found that "the downstream uses of the software [...], whether legal or illegal, are not relevant to determining whether [the manufacturer] itself is violating the statute." In that case and others that followed it, the court found the software manufacturer
in violation of the DMCA.
From version 3 and forward, MacTheRipper is sold for an undisclosed sum.
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
application that enables users to create a playable copy of the contents of a Video DVD by defeating the Content Scramble System
Content Scramble System
Content Scramble System is a Digital Rights Management and encryption system employed on almost all commercially produced DVD-Video discs. CSS utilizes a proprietary 40-bit stream cipher algorithm...
. During this process it may optionally modify or disable the DVD region code
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
or the User operation prohibition
User operation prohibition
The user operation prohibition is a form of use restriction used on video DVD discs and Blu-ray discs. Most DVD players and Blu-ray players prohibit the viewer from performing a large majority of actions during sections of a DVD that are protected or restricted by this feature, and will display...
features of the copied data. The previous lack of an OS X equivalent to the PC software DVDShrink gave this standalone DVD ripper
DVD ripper
A DVD ripper is a software program that facilitates copying the content of a DVD to a hard disk drive. They are mainly used to transfer video on DVDs to different formats, to edit or back up DVD content, and to convert DVD video for playback on media players and mobile devices...
widespread popularity among Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
users.
The current public release is version 2.6.6. MacTheRipper was developed in 2002 and since that time, it has had over two million users. The latest release is v4.1.5, available for download from the MTB-4 forum, a forum only available after registering and getting approved by an administrator.. Even documentation such as pricing (it's no longer free) and the FAQ is locked off.
Legal issues
The closed-source policy of MacTheRipper's authors violates the GNU General Public LicenseGNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
(GPL) of the libdvdread and Libdvdcss
Libdvdcss
libdvdcss is a free software library for accessing and unscrambling DVDs encrypted with the Content Scramble System...
software libraries, on which MacTheRipper is built.
The creation and distribution of MacTheRipper may violate the anti-circumvention
Anti-circumvention
Anti-circumvention refers to laws which prohibit the circumvention of technological barriers for using a digital good in certain ways which the rightsholders do not wish to allow...
laws which the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and EU have adopted as part of the WIPO Copyright Treaty. In a case against the maker of a program similar to MacTheRipper, the court found that "the downstream uses of the software [...], whether legal or illegal, are not relevant to determining whether [the manufacturer] itself is violating the statute." In that case and others that followed it, the court found the software manufacturer
321 Studios
321 Studios was a privately held company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with a sales office in Berkeley, California. The company was a leading provider of DVD authoring software, including the highly controversial DVD X Copy product line of DVD copy software...
in violation of the DMCA.
From version 3 and forward, MacTheRipper is sold for an undisclosed sum.
See also
- DVD ripperDVD ripperA DVD ripper is a software program that facilitates copying the content of a DVD to a hard disk drive. They are mainly used to transfer video on DVDs to different formats, to edit or back up DVD content, and to convert DVD video for playback on media players and mobile devices...
article about other software with similar features. - DVDFabDVDFabDVDFab is a Microsoft Windows program that allows the decryption and copying of video DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and some HD DVDs. Its distribution is based in Beijing.-Features:...
a Microsoft Windows program that allows the decryption and copying of video DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and some HD DVDs. - Mac DVDRipper Pro a similar program for OS X.
- RipItRipItRipIt is a Mac OS X DVD ripper developed by The Little App Factory. It enables users to create a playable copy of the contents of a Video DVD on their hard disk...
a similar program for OS X with fewer features. - HandBrakeHandBrakeHandBrake is a general-purpose, open-source, cross-platform, multithreaded video transcoder software application. HandBrake was originally developed by titer in 2003 as a general-purpose video transcoder to make ripping a film from a DVD to a data storage device easier...
a free open-source program to convert DVDs into other forms