After a series of events on Tuesday, initiated by the publication of a software key that would unlock the copy protection on some high-definition DVDs, the DRM Group, an entertainment industry-backed consortium which developed the protection threatened legal action.

First, the 32-digit key appeared widely on the Internet and many bloggers considered publishing it as an exercise in free speech, one alluding to Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.

Then, bloggers from all over began commenting on the publication on Digg, a popular technology news site. The traffic became so heavy that it was the dominate subject of the day. Whereupon the DRM Group, apparently issued a "cease and desist" order against Digg, who responded by taking down the offending links. But after reader revolt on the decision, Digg’s founder, Kevin Rose, re-posted the link to the key, saying that he would “deal with the consequences.”

Certainly, any perceived harm has already happened. Simply entering the 32 digit key into Google brings up 1,100,000 pages. Hardly secret anymore. Taking down the websites, or deleting posts will not undo the damage.

The question remains- Was publication of the key an expression of free speech. Mr Blogmeister doesn’t think so. It amounts to dealing in stolen property. The key is property of DRM, and was taken by breaking into the container (the code) and extracting the loot (the key).

It is going to be interesting to see what happens. Is there safety in numbers? Contrary to the opinion of some, the DRM Group can select those whom they wish to prosecute; they need not charge everyone. And thanks to Google, the evidence is virtually indestructible.

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