[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Drop That DVD-Copying Software Now! here

[chipbennett]

A critical flaw exists in MPAA's argument: RealDVD does not break the DVD's encryption.

With respect to the DMCA, that critical flaw is the end of the story. No circumvention of encryption is taking place.

One of two things will eventually happen (through court action, because Congress will never act accordingly, in either case):

1) The DMCA will be overturned

or

2) The argument that "the purchaser is licensing the content, not purchasing a product" will be overturned.

[drachir]

My opinion is that the consumer is being ripped off, and Hollywood is just getting richer. It is totally unfair to the consumer. In the olden days, I was able to copy ANYTHING onto VCR tapes or audio cassettes. Then came along the digital age. Now copy protection can be encoded, and the owners of that content can take advantage of it. When I purchase a DVD, I should be allowed to back it up in case the original gets damaged. I should not be forced to buy another copy if my 6 year old daughter accidentally drops it into the paper shedder, or uses it as a frisbee.

[butlerwm]

Copyright laws were written for the purpose of protecting the rights of those who create things. The fair use principles were designed to protect end users rights to do with the "created thing" those actions that are "reasonable" and do not take away from the rights of the copyright holder.

Neither the MPAA or the RIAA will ever, willingly, allow fair use to be fully realized because it is not in the interest of the people and organizations they represent. So as chipbennett stated, the only recourse is the courts. DMCA needs first to be overturned, because presently, that is the leg upon with RIAA and MPAA stand upon.

But... you can be certain that when DMCA is finally overturned, legislators (owned and operated by RIAA and MPAA) will come up with some other, equally unreasonable law to take its place. But in the interim, end users will have the ability to protect their investments.

[drachir]

Agreed. So it's totally unfair that DMCA can be used to disable DVDs from being copied under the fair use principle. If the RIAA and MPAA want to protect the copyright owners, then they should only be allowed to fine or imprison people who distribute their content for profit. If I want to let me neighbor borrow my lawnmower to cut his grass because his is in the repair shop, it's my own right to let him. If the lawnmower manufacturer wants to police the country to make sure only the true owners of their lawnmowers are using them, then go right ahead. But if the lawnmower company uses digital technology to equip the mowers with fingerprint ignition systems, allowing only the owner to use it... OH CRAP Now they are going to get in on this! Do you get my point? The whole thing is unfair to the consumer. Automating copyright protection is a fundamental violation of the fair use principle.

[rtfire1]

As some of you on the board know my bro lives in new zealand right now he brought some dvds he bought for my parents and my self from there. Because of the code 3 or what ever it is for new zealand. So i had to play it in my laptop and plug it in to the hdmi port on the tv. after we watched the move I thought maybe I should make a copy of this disk incase anything happs well it was not copyrighted so i was okay there and when it was done it came out coded region 1.

[karateen]

I don't see why they are making such a big deal about this. It's like CDs, as long as you can upload onto an external player then it shouldn't be such a big deal.

[snorg]

I copy my DVD's onto a blank DVD and play the copy so I dont wear out the original, it pefectly legal, they cant stop me.

[drachir]

The DMCA (Digital Mellenium Copyright Act of 1998) gives the entertainment and software industries the right to encode media with "stuff" that restricts or inhibits the consumer from making copies of that media, be it legitimate or otherwise. Many of us consumers feel that it is a violation of the fair use principle. And now they are talking about even limiting uploads to media players, and even charging a license for doing that. No wonder there are so many bit-torrent fans out there!

[Adama]

Man! I've been waiting for a long time to have the $ to buy a really good, easy-to-use (emphasis on easy) software to copy my DVDs! Most of them got messed up last summer when I was babysitting a couple of kids for a month.

But, poking around within this article I found this other great article on Wired It deserves a good reading.

[drachir]

That looks like a great article, and that might be the way to go for folks that aren't afraid of getting caught. And many don't, until they start giving copies to too many friends. But it is actually quite a hassle having to go through all that. The problem with hacking the system is that they are always "upgrading" the DRM encryption technologies, so you have to keep upgrading when the latest codecs in the latest movies come out. So you have to keep buying the latest version of that ripping software. It's like a huge conspiracy designed to frustrate the consumer, and to make them pay for the loss in revenue due to the few bad apples out there that pirate the content.

[snorg]

Its just another corporate conspiracy to turn average people into criminals.

[ImaPhake]

If RealDVD is deemed illegal, then Kaleidescape should also be deemed illegal -- but -- Kaleidescape has already been deemed legal by the court.

What sets them apart? The Kaleidescape System costs about $10,000 whereas the RealDVD software is chump change. Both copy DVDs to your hard disk.

So, if the court rules against RealDVD, then this is what they are saying: If you are wealthy, feel free to copy as many of your DVDs as you wish. If you're "Average Joe" and want the same right the answer is "No."

The MPAA can go straight to hell as far as I'm concerned.

[snorg]

DVD Shrink will make duplicate DVD's and its free.

[Adama]

VERY OFF TOPIC:

Hi, Snorg!

!http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
1! on 1,700 posts!!! Well done, my friend! :x

[ImaPhake]

Yes, DVD Shrink is free, but it is also illegal here in the U.S. because it circumvents and strips the copy of the CSS copy protection. The author stopped distributing it when his site received a DMCA take-down notice.

Also, DVD Shrink can't handle new forms of copy protection that have come out since the last version of DVD Shrink although it is still useful on most disks.

Consumers want and need a legal method of copying their disks regardless. All of us who copy our disks are breaking the law until that happens.

[drachir]

Amen to that. That's the real issue here. It SHOULD NOT be against the law for consumers to copy DVDs, or EVEN SOFTWARE for their own personal use. The unfair government regulations that try to enforce copyright protection with DRM technology is downright unconstitutional!!!

[drachir]

Amen to that, ImaPhake.

[Number3124]

So then why are we "allowed" to rip CDs and record TV shows and radio to tapes?

[drachir]

DRM technology never got its hooks into the CD music industry, because CD authoring stuff was already widespread when DRM came into the market. I am surprised DRM hasn't made its way into the music industry by now. TV and Radio content is paid for by advertising. It would be a different story if it was all commercial free.