The problem isn't users posting a code which might possibly be able to circumvent the HD-DVD's copy protection, the problem is the disc manufacturers copy protection violating their customers rights under the "fair use" portion of US (and probably other countries) Copyright law. The disc manufacturer are the criminals here, not their customers, and to treat their customers like criminals, is, well, criminal. If I buy the disc and want to rip it to store the video on my hard drive so I can watch it on my media PC, legally I can. I've paid for the rights to do so, those who've made the video have been paid their royalties (well, hopefully, but if not that's the MPAA's fault), and everyone should be happy. But NO! I can't do that. If I want a version I can watch on my computer, TV or anything else that plays back a transferable version, I've got to pay for those rights (which I've already paid for) again, and chances are I'll get a version lacking in the detail that I've already paid for.

Jeff, New York, USA

I really wouldn't give too much credence to Digg. It's a noisy minority in the vast sea of opinion and "user generated content" floating around on the internet. As many of it's users frequently complain the site is overrun with teenage nerds who clog up the comments, vote on stories and comments according to very narrow dogma, and generally prevent Digg taking off with the non-nerd mainstream.
Ironically after Digg's change of heart on the HD-DVD stories, the general consensus among many users was "now can we get on with the real news?".

Alex Kerr, London, UK

The internet has many huge benefits; but this cowardly bowing to mass noise is also an all too frequent phenomenon :

Coming from someone in a country with cameras on every corner and the most sophisticated domestic spying program in the world your statement above is laughable.

Fight the Power!!

prblmchld, Anytown, USA

Quite apart from his dubious grasp of the English language, Bill's post shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the aims of such copyright mechanisms, which is to allow media companies to effectively write their own copyright law and deny the public their rights to fair use of content that they have purchased.

Former Chemist, London,

Users that were banned for posting are still banned even with this so called reversal. The original poster who had 15000 diggs is still banned even though Kevin posted a story with the same offending number.

James Dee, Toronto,

Geoffrey,

Why are blaming Sony products? They are Blue-ray, not HD-DVD (that is Microsoft that is running that whole thing). The copyright has nothing to do with this story, it is about hacking discs.

I love all of my Sony stuff and believe that Blue-ray will prevail, but it will just take time.

I think Digg really screwed up by not allowing the story to stay. If the sponsor would have gone away, another would have been picked up because all the negative publicity would actually be a stand for human rights and posting material (not even harmful) is the freedom of speech. I'm glad they went back on their decision but now they are flip-flopping almost as bad as Al "I invented the Internet" Gore.

David, Erie, PA, USA

It is a shame that Digg management doesn't have the courage to stand up to their subscribers and tell them plainly they will not back a schem to defraud a company from it's rights on the content on HD DVD. Next will be pornography, pedophily, violence, and you name it.
Of course it is much easier to just follow the masses slavenly than to try to set a basic moral standard.
The internet has many huge benefits; but this cowardly bowing to mass noise is also an all too frequent phenomenon..

Bill, bristol, UK

I travel the world with my (as it happens Sony) laptop. I buy dvds around the world. I think my laptop has given up on playing most of my dvds now. Whenever i see one of those draconian copyright warnings I say to myself "yeah, right". More practically I have today to buy a voice recorder. It will be an Olympus not a Sony.

Geoffrey, Sydney, Australia