DVD Burning - Legal Issues

[Bob43]

Can anybody tell me what you can and cannot legally do with a DVD burner with regards to burning your own DVD movies?

thanks

[darrenw1967]

Most people believe it is ok to back up your own movies so that the kids etc. do not destroy the original but I bet if it went to court the law would say that even that is not allowed.

[MJCfromCT]

agreed...

in order to backup a dvd you have to find out the encryption key for the dvd, and i don't think its legal to do that...but others would say that you are allowed to make a backup copy of your dvd for archival/protection

[rmanet]

Originally posted by Bob43
Can anybody tell me what you can and cannot legally do with a DVD burner with regards to burning your own DVD movies?

thanks

an issue that'll probably never be truly resolved for any game, music or movie media from now on - depends on who you ask.....

I've often wondered why they didn't get all wrapped around the axle when buyers were backing up and copying VHS movies freely - more of an issue now because of all the stuff available on the internet - these guys really are taking a hit from overseas and users sharing files

the question is - what are fair profits, and these guys should be proactive, not reactive in terms of dealing with the issue

copy protections are always defeated by guys who do it just so they can say they did - but it's not a topic we ever talk about in detail here

[mobo57]

Bob43;
Took copyright law in law school (yea i am a bottom feeding scum sucking lawyer), and I can tell you you can make back-up copies of your disks without legal trouble as long as it is for your personal use only. Using software to break the code is also legal, for now. Most rental companies have some sort of additional protection encoded into their disks, so that if you tried to copy it, you would end up with a shiny new coaster for your evening brew.

As to whether you can actually make copies by getting around the copy protection features, that is another matter.

[invincible]

if the hollywood studios win the case against the backup dvd movies & software makers, why don't they provide a lifetime warranty for all dvd movies if the dics get bad.

[mobo57]

Gawd Almighty $$$$$'s.
The reality is the studios have little chance to run the makers of backup software and hardware out of business. There is a legitimate use for their software other than copying movies. As such, they will have a very difficult time in succeeding. One good point is they are not like the RIAA in their pursuit against copy infringement.

The area where the recording industry encounters it's most constant cost per title is in the distribution channels, shipping, packaging, etc. Setting up a web distribution of the latest music videos and movies would be relativily cheap and easy to maintain and eliminate a substantial portion of that cost.

If the movie industry was smart, they would watch what is happening with the RIAA and go in the opposite direction.