321 Studios Revisited

by /\/ordog

Back in the day at 3 Research Park in St. Charles, Missouri, things were buzzing, along with the tail rotor of the boss's private helicopter.  Robert H. Moore had us all helping to promote the freedom to duplicate your own copies of - DVDs, placing him in the middle of the digital age's most volatile disputes between consumers' fair rights and the MPAA's views of copyright protection.

In October 1999, DeCSS was created, which allowed Pandora out of the DVD box set.  We all had a right to rip our own copies of DVDs we had paid for - movies, records, and video game content.  In July 2001, Bob just took this idea and ran with it.  Thus, DVD X Copy was born.  It all started on Edison Avenue in Chesterfield with a bunch of young hungry people with an idea: create software that allowed everyday people to make backup copies of their DVDs.  It was fun and a lot of work; there were a lot of great ideas that started in that little building.  X Maker, CD X Rescue, Xtreme Download, X Show, X Copy Platinum, and X Point were just a few.  We had computer parts and software spread everywhere.  What a great atmosphere - free lunches for everybody and a free spirit encompassed the entire enterprise.  No rules, just do it ("Now You Can" - our motto till the end).  Even our passwords reflected that freedom, a.k.a. 321 Geeks ruled.  We were on AfterDawn, BBSes, and IMing everybody, downloads were flying on every system way before the thought of any aviation vehicles were on our bosses' minds.  We were making money and loving life itself.  Oh to be young again.

Soon we had outgrown that little space and were on the move - in more ways than one.  One was the lawsuit.  Let's file a lawsuit against (((Hollywood))) and where else but northern California.  We started including anti-piracy measures in the software, watermarks, and disclaimers, even not allowing the copy to be copied.

Our next move was to 17 Research Park and a much bigger building with a big United States flag in front of the campus.  Things were getting more serious, you had to sign for things like DVD burners, hard drives, motherboards, meals, office supplies, you name it - and it all had a price and had to be accounted for.  We had the first Power Users Conference on Saturday, August 30, 2003 and what a showing... even Fred von Lohmann offered advice in a speech for the masses.  There were suits and ties for the first time and everybody started getting official titles and salaries.  A call center was in the making and 24/7 operation all a part of doing big business.

Las Vegas, January 8, 2004:  Three new products and the start of the end.  All the new leaders went to Nevada.  Bob even flew the helicopter for a while at least, everyone else just took a plane.  The rest of the old guard had to rely on AfterDawn and IMs that weekend.  But there was a holiday party coming up and it was on the company's tab, a "Let's celebrate the success and the People of 321" gala, January 24, 2004.  Elegant dress for an evening at the Omni Majestic Hotel in downtown St. Louis.  Dancing, dining, and a lot of whining - where had we gone, what had happened?  There were tuxedos, evening gowns, and fine linen.  Gold was everywhere - a lot of snobby people and very little enjoyment.  Some of us had to go to work the next morning and there was an ice storm in St. Louis that night.  There was a change in the air - little did we know, we were on the move again.  Bigger is not always better.

3 Research Park Drive and the Tower of Glass.  More changes and staffing moves were rampant - even Bob's son quit.  It all came down to production.  Everyone was asked to work overtime to help the production software assembly line make more, more, more.  There were more changes in the wind, a lot of new faces started to show up, and things really changed fast.  There were logical paths and steps for everything, Human Resources reared its ugly head, you had to tell where you were going and clock in and out.  The smokers had to go outside and it is really cold in Missouri in the winter.  What was happening?  Our very freedom was being taken away.  An employee handbook was even issued in February.  I saw the writing on the stall wall.

Then, on February 20, 2004, Judge Susan Illston ruled.  Wow, what a change and not for the better of anyone.  Even though Mr. Moore said he would fight to the end, on June 16, 2004, he started preparing for bankruptcy protection.  $100 million dollars a year in revenue and 400 employees later, it was all over.

But boy, what a ride.  321 Studios is gone but not forgotten.  Long live the idea.

Now you can.

In memory of Robert H. Moore, who passed away April 1, 2007.