This is, believe it or not, not even the dumbest part about DMCA. However the legalese is worded, it seems mostly focused towards trying to prevent mass copyrig

This is, believe it or not, not even the dumbest part about DMCA. However the legalese is worded, it seems mostly focused towards trying to prevent mass copyright infringement in a digital age. If you're someone who just wants to use your legally-acquired media then IMO (and IANAL!) you should fall into the "Reverse Engineering/Interoperability" exception of 1201(f) http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap12.html http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap12.html They word it as the exception being granted for "programs exchanging information with programs" but I see no reason why that would not mean, in practice, libdvdcss <=> foo_player. Going back to what I said at first, a far dumber part of DMCA is that they actually ban the manufacture and import of analog video playback equipment (VHS, Beta, etc.) that doesn't obey "automatic gain control" copy control features. How many electrical engineering students might have run afoul of that in the course of their studies? (Edit: 1201(k) for those who want the reference)