I have been searching for the current laws in the US in regard to copying of DVD movies. The most current that I have found was the July 19, 2004 decision allowing limited copying. I was also told in the US, we pay a tariff on all blank media (not sure about dvd media) that covers homemade copies of original work. I am not referring to any original work that has been downloaded, just backup copies for personal use. These copies are not for sale of course. I would like to have any websites that can backup the current laws if possible, my searches have not yeilded any current result - 2004 is the most current I have found. Thanks
By the way, I have been backing up dvds for several years now. But now I feel I must justify my copies.
Thanks for the info, but as far feeling the need to justify why i make copies, I bought it, I own it and it's no one else' business if i make a copy to protect the original from damage. I don't sell/give away or loan out copies, so no need to justify anything :o)
It's quite complicated, but the Digital Millennium Copyright Act DMCA) of 1998 says it's illegal to circumvent any copyguard/encryption. So basically if you used anything to bypass/crack DeCSS or Macrovision (software and or hardware) you are a law breaker....period.
The judge in the 321 Studios case said they were in violation for this reason. She also said any 'fair use' considerstions does not give you the right to a perfect digital copy.
Any program that circumvents copy protection is illegal in the US and other countries. It is also illegal to sell said program to anyone in a country that has laws prohibiting the use of that program. It is not illegal to own the program, but your actions become illegal the minute you use it to copy a DVD.
Thanks for the input. I will continue doing what I have been doing. I have several hundred dvds I have copied. Since I have children, they seem to get scratched up easily or lost or wont play for whatever reason. If anyone hears anything new concerning this topic, please let me know. This is a great website/forum. I have been coming here for several years to get help for various problems. I personally use DVD Shrink. And if that doesnt work, I use SuperDVD Copy, then DVD Shrink. I rarely have a DVD that wont rip. Thanks again!
If it is illegal to bypass an encryption, why is it not illegal for a movie industry to prevent a consumer from making a backup. If I am right, when we buy a movie don't we also pay for the copyright privlages. This sounds like a breach of contract to me. Any comments?
When you buy a DVD you buy the content, which is copyright protected. You are not allowed to break that copyright protection, when you do it becomes illegal.
