Digg's run-in on Wednesday with the owner of an HD DVD digital rights management key isn't the first time the technology industry has seen a legal scuffle arise from demonstrating how to utilize software flaws or get around protections.
Dmitry Sklyarov, a Russian encryption expert, was arrested by the FBI in 2001 for allegedly publishing software that cracks a variety of methods used to secure e-books. Sklyarov was taken into custody after the DefCon hacker event in Las Vegas where he outlined the problems plaguing e-book formats and Adobe's PDF format.
After protests, prosecutors set aside charges against Sklyarov in exchange for his testimony in the case against ElcomSoft, his employer. A jury acquitted the software company in late 2002.
