DVD Ripping - What are you allowed to discuss?

It is generally against the law to circumvent DVD Protection and NOT to copy contents.

Therefore I believe that if you made a bit for bit exact copy (including the DVD Protection) you would NOT be Breaking any laws....

This was discussed by Tom Merrit in a Buzz Out Loud podcast...
Therefore I would assume that this is also the case in USA...

So, are we allowed to talk about how to make a bit for bit copy.....

MacFanBoy said:

It is generally against the law to circumvent DVD Protection and NOT to copy contents.

Therefore I believe that if you made a bit for bit exact copy (including the DVD Protection) you would NOT be Breaking any laws....

This was discussed by Tom Merrit in a Buzz Out Loud podcast...
Therefore I would assume that this is also the case in USA...

So, are we allowed to talk about how to make a bit for bit copy.....

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Actually yes, it would still be against the law. US Copyright Law and Fair Use only cover audio, you are not allowed to make copies of video (that's why every video has that FBI warning). Devilboy is the expert on this part, but I wanted to make sure that it was clear.

Then why are DVR's like from satellite and cable companies legal in the US if you are not suppost to record TV shows, and movies off of showtime, hbo, etc; or is there some sort of admendment to the law about those devices?

cgsouthern said:

Then why are DVR's like from satellite and cable companies legal in the US if you are not suppost to record TV shows, and movies off of showtime, hbo, etc; or is there some sort of admendment to the law about those devices?

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Yes, they are referred to as "Time Shifting Devices". In other words, you are allowed to record a broadcast for the sole purpose of viewing it at a later, more convenient time (hence the "time shifting" name).
You are not legally allowed to retain those recordings indefinitely.

Any questions on this can be answered by visiting the U.S. Copyright Office's website at: www.copyright.gov

space_invader64 said:

This forum is run by the RIAA?

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Im not here to jump down your throat like some people have done.You never know who is running a forum, unless you live near that person and are friends or family.
There are several different authority figures that join forums on a daily basis.I can name off about 15 people that i personally referred to this site that are judges and police officers.Are they here to monitor this site?No they are here to seek knowledge about apple products.Would they let comments about what another member said when it came to burning illegal software,dvd's or anything of that spectrum?Depends on how they want to handle the situation(As i have been told that most of the time its a person that is just trying to learn how to do or just has learned how to do illegal burning of various products).They really look for the ones that like to "Big Ball" as i am told.Giving specific details on how to copy OS systems and major software and popular(But expensive)Games.

So for you asking is there any type of specific organization running the forum was probably a legitimate question.Who knows what is being ran, watched or even created by who on the internet anymore?
Like i said...Unless you know that person in the flesh....
Then they could be any sort of Government official.
And thats not a wild shot in the air,Thats the reality of the real world.

ibookmobile007 said:

So for you asking is there any type of specific organization running the forum was probably a legitimate question.Who knows what is being ran, watched or even created by who on the internet anymore?
Like i said...Unless you know that person in the flesh....
Then they could be any sort of Government official.
And thats not a wild shot in the air,Thats the reality of the real world.

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Actually, it's no secret about who is running/owning the board. The information is in the footer of every page at Mac-Forums.

I am very curious about this subject, what's legal, what isn't. I have never been into ripping, etc. I'm pretty boring when it comes to this stuff. I have Netflix, buy a few Blu-ray disks here and there, listen to music on the radio to and from work. Have to work hard to get a few songs on my Nano so my wife can take it work with her because I don't use it.

So, if we have established that I can't even legally copy my own purchased DVD's for backups, here's my question. I have a Playstation 3, and I have noticed that sony has produced a DVR for it to be released first in Europe. This particular DVR records anything, DRM-free MPEG-2 and allows for transfer of media to other devices. I would think this would be illegal, but...

"We've talked to our legal department about it," said Bunting. "All we're doing is moving it out of PlayTV and to the cross-media bar as if it was any other recording. So hopefully users won't do stuff they shouldn't do with it.
"If I'm prohibited from getting the recording off and storing it somewhere else because some other dude is making money out of selling it, then I'd rather they brought the law in to catch those people," he added.

Now, this could all get scrapped, but they sure seem to think it's legal, and of course, Sony USA is looking into the possibility. What possible loop-hole could they have found to do such things?

D3v1L80Y said:

Yes, they are referred to as "Time Shifting Devices". In other words, you are allowed to record a broadcast for the sole purpose of viewing it at a later, more convenient time (hence the "time shifting" name).
You are not legally allowed to retain those recordings indefinitely.

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The law is the law, and I'm not challenging it, but, technically, if you never finished watching a recorded broadcast, would it them be legal to retain until you've finished watching it?

CD ripping is still illegal here in the UK - although that may change soon.

Sorry to post to this thread so late...

As a holder of a BA in journalism who had to pass a fairly grueling media law course...to answer the question as to why it's okay to have a DVR: you are allowed to make recordings of broadcasts. HOWEVER -- and here's the part that nobody seems to know -- you're only legally allowed to have that copy for 30 days. Even the TiVo folks don't know that, as there's an option to keep the recordings "until I delete"!

BTW -- just telling the facts. I'm not saying I agree with the laws (i.e. you can't make backups for what you buy even though it's for your own use, etc.), but that's what the law is. Also makes me wonder if discussing speeding, jaywalking, etc., are also forbidden since those are illegal activities as well.

I think I'll make a bit by bit backup copy of this post for later viewing........

Why is there a Google ad for software to rip from DVD to iPod at the top of this thread?

Nighthawk4 said:

Why is there a Google ad for software to rip from DVD to iPod at the top of this thread?

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Thanks for the head's up. We are looking into the matter.

Nighthawk4 said:

Why is there a Google ad for software to rip from DVD to iPod at the top of this thread?

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That is pretty ironic.