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Obviously, laws differ in different countries, but in the US, making a backup copy for personal use is considered fair use, and is legal. With DVDs and Blu-Ray
by andjd 4y ago
Obviously, laws differ in different countries, but in the US, making a backup copy for personal use is considered fair use, and is legal.
With DVDs and Blu-Rays, the situation is less clear because there is a specific law against breaking DRM. However, to my knowledge, there has never been a lawsuit against a _user_ of software that lets you rip a DVD or BD, that law has only been used against companies that make or distribute the software itself. Either because of the fair-use right or plausible deniability, it's unclear whether enforcement of this provision against an individual end-user would be permissible.
- bluGill 4y agoEven if it wouldn't fall under fair use because it broke DRM, I don't think the big labels want to risk a case against someone ripping for personal use only. There is too much risk that the story of the big giant trampling on the honest little guy making a backup will go viral (or anything else that would be fair use except for DRM laws). They know there are a lot of us who don't like DRM, but we don't quite have the power to change things, a few viral stories and the laws will change. (the treaties that require DRM can be renegotiated fast if there is political reason to do so)
- masklinn 4y ago> Obviously, laws differ in different countries, but in the US, making a backup copy for personal use is considered fair use, and is legal. Title 17 certainly does not say that. The closest it comes to talking about the subject is by saying that copies are only allowed if consented to by the copyright owner. Space shifting and other forms of personal copies are at best a gray area with little case law to work off of.