Teen hacker hero goes on trial

Jon Lech Johansen was only 15 when he wrote and distributed on the Internet for free a program that unlocked copy-protected DVDs, giving Hollywood nightmares and making him a folk hero among hackers.

Three years later, he's going on trial in an important test case for Norway's strict laws against computer piracy and hacking.

The short program Johansen wrote is only one of many easily available programs that can break DVD security codes. One is included in a software package, sold by a U.S. company, that even burns DVDs after cracking the copy protection.

The charges were filed after Norwegian prosecutors received a complaint from the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the major Hollywood studios.

The prosecutors agreed with the movie industry that Johansen's program, in effect, left their property unlocked and open for theft.

Johansen has said he wanted only to watch DVDs on his Linux-based computer, which lacked the DVD-viewing software of Windows and Macintosh users.