VLC  uses libdvdcss and ignores region codes.

From the final version of ACTA:

5. Each Party shall provide adequate legal protection and effective legal remedies against the circumvention of effective technological measures that are used by authors, performers or producers of phonograms in connection with the exercise of their rights in, and that restrict acts in respect of, their works, performances, and phonograms, which are not authorized by the authors, the performers or the producers of phonograms concerned or permitted by law.

Considering that region codes are an arbitrary software restriction, surely they aren’t considered an effective technological measure. Or are they?

Without prejudice to the scope of copyright or related rights contained in a Party’s law, technological measures shall be deemed effective where the use of  protected works, performances, or phonograms is controlled by authors, performers or producers of phonograms through the application of a relevant access control or protection process, such as encryption or scrambling, or a copy control mechanism, which achieves the objective of protection.

Do you notice something funny about that definition? It removes the criteria that effective technological measures be effective. Bypassing region codes might be legal, depending on how broadly you interpret the above, but playing encrypted dvds on Linux is out of the question.

Stop ACTA. More here.

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