The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for VHS

[Wizzard419]

Hypothetically, your nickname may be "Caeser"...

[Jacca5660]

Hypothetically, your nickname may be "Caeser"...

That's funny, but wrong on so many different levels!!

[cy1229]

Ok, here's a nit-picking question, then Wiz...

Suppose you play the VHS tape, and record it on your DVD recorder, but never actually watch it on a TV monitor? Could that REALLY qualify as a "broadcast?" Seems like you're just streaming data from one source to another for archival purposes. It's always been legal to burn a cd of digitally purchased music for archival, and to make a copy of cassettes for archival purposes. So how is this different?

Besides, unless we post on a public forum, no one is going to know what VHS tapes we may or may not have copied to DVD.

[snomasnayr]

I didn't think it was legal. That's why I didn't do it. I think it is legal for you to make a digital version if you own the original and don't sell or give away either the original or digital. It may not be, but I'm not gonna go looking for trouble.

[Len90]

Let me put it like this... If you were to think of doing something like that for your own personal use, I would just do it and not say a word. Maybe it is the New Jersey part of me coming out, but the best thing to do is say nothing

[cy1229]

Let me put it like this... If you were to think of doing something like that for your own personal use, I would just do it and not say a word. Maybe it is the New Jersey part of me coming out, but the best thing to do is say nothing

EXACTLY. Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission, I always say.

[Wizzard419]

Ok, here's a nit-picking question, then Wiz...

Suppose you play the VHS tape, and record it on your DVD recorder, but never actually watch it on a TV monitor? Could that REALLY qualify as a "broadcast?" Seems like you're just streaming data from one source to another for archival purposes. It's always been legal to burn a cd of digitally purchased music for archival, and to make a copy of cassettes for archival purposes. So how is this different?

Besides, unless we post on a public forum, no one is going to know what VHS tapes we may or may not have copied to DVD.

Broadcast is usually defined (as it is in this case) as the machine prouces an output signal and is moving at the speed of normal viewing. If it were a specialty copy machine (higher rate) it wouldn't be the same.

I don't think it has actually been legal to make copies of cassettes, and burn a CD from purchased music is quasi legal, outlawed in the UK, and it's not considered a "backup" by any legal standards. The only media "backup" that the US courts have allowed (I think) for consumers is being able to rip audio CDs and using products like handbrake on optical video media. The reason for the hair splitting by the media companies is mostly that they want to keep as much power as possible when it comes to the rights.

[GeoffS]

I think the real issue of copying a VHS is the Macrovision protection on originals. There are MANY ways around it, and I'll leave it at that.

Before the whole Napster/music industry/etc. issue blowing up, peer-to-peer recording was largely unpursued by major studios. Tape trading and bootlegging was relatively common, and the only people getting attention were those doing it on large scale or doing it for profit. Now, it seems popular to go after individuals for their 999GB of illegal music, but I think those are mostly "let's make an example of this one person" than a common occurrance.

Interesting reading is on the history of copyright law, and (surprise, surprise) Disney's involvement over the years in protecting the Mouse. Every time the year limitation would come up for Micky to pass into public domain, a new law appeared extending the year limit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_ ... ted_States.

[snomasnayr]

Let me put it like this... If you were to think of doing something like that for your own personal use, I would just do it and not say a word. Maybe it is the New Jersey part of me coming out, but the best thing to do is say nothing

Yeah. I'd have no problem if I were making a digital version of my VHS, but I wanted to make a digital version of my friend's copy. I just wanted to know if this particular VHS was public domain yet.

[Wizzard419]

Not even close, you will probably be long dead before it falls into that.

[Jacca5660]

But now they make DVD that you can make a digital copy of. They advertise them. You buy the Blu Ray and it comes with a DVD you can copy.

[snomasnayr]

But now they make DVD that you can make a digital copy of. They advertise them. You buy the Blu Ray and it comes with a DVD you can copy.

Yeah, but I laugh at that. I can already rip a DVD to put on my iPod, I can even include subtitles and other language tracks! I think I could rip Blu Ray, but I don't have a Blu Ray drive for my computer. I only do this for my movies though.

[Wizzard419]

Yeah, I am not 100% sure if there is a legal distinction between DVD, CD, and Blu-Ray (since laws are generally written as specific as possible). Which might also be why most discs put out by major publishers also include a "digital copy".

[dstrawn9889]

hmm, you should have seen my old 'netflix' (since been erased by damaged hdd) library... when i used to get the disks in by mail. long live dvd decrypter! i know some guys that would go in to work and weekly purchase a spindle pack of dvd-r's for their nexflix 'habit'

[Wizzard419]

Now only old people would even buy spindles since NAS devices are so reasonable.