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CIAO DATE: 04/04
Caught in the Net: Norway
In a victory for digital rights advocates, Norway announced in January it would cease prosecution of Jon Lech Johansen—"DVD Jon." In late 1999, at age 15, Johansen wrote a Linux computer program that decrypted DVD movies (purchased legally) so he could view them on his home PC. Norwegian authorities, reportedly at the behest of the Motion Picture Association of America, raided Johansen's home, charged him with digital burglary, and tried him twice in four years. Johansen was acquitted both times.