[linux-dvb] Re: CAM's and legal stuff

["Bläser, Lars" <LBlaeser@hofheim.de>]

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Klaus Schmidinger [mailto:Klaus.Schmidinger@cadsoft.de]
> Gesendet am: Donnerstag, 1. August 2002 09:18
> An: linux-dvb@linuxtv.org
> Betreff: [linux-dvb] Re: CAM's and legal stuff
> 
> Lauri Tischler wrote:
> > 
> > After snooping around in mailarchives, couple of questions 
> popped up.
> > Has anybody tryed Magic Module CAM ?
> > Why is SoftCAM considered illegal? As long as official 
> smartcard is used
> > to feed the correct keys to WhatEverCAM it should be legal.
> > Of cource I can be terribilly wrong, as usual :)

1. Magic Module CAM is some kind of CAM without a progammed firmware, to program one, someone has to reverse-engenier the original algorithem (wich has a copyright is a patenet algo in it)
-> not leagal to program a firmware into it that decode i.e. irdeto (thats why they are sold "blank")

2. Softcam means you feeding the input that should come from CI-Interface+Hardware-CAM directly to the DVB-s via Software -> how will you use a smartcard here?
you could read something from the Smartcard and write that to a file, wich is probably illeagal because you are breaking a protectin mechanism and you reverse-engenier the firmware of the smartcard (also copyright and patents)

some of these depends a little bit from your local law, but since more than a year the EU-Law does not alow all those stuff

> AFAIK SoftCAM _can_ be used with an official smart card, but 
> you can also
> run it without one - and that's where it becomes illegal.
thats no question, but the Softcam itself is imho illeagal (the patent holders of encrytion mechanism will agree here for shure)

> If the driver would have better CAM support, there would 
> probably be no
> need for a SoftCAM...
from a tecnical point of view
BUT there are always people that find it challanging to show that nothing is 100% "secure" or impossible, so even a better CAM support does not mean it won´t exist
a part of all these illegal stuff is simply a lack of security-knowledge (or there will?) on the side of the content providers - i.e. there are and were better attack protected smartcards on the market


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