Here’s how US law defines “copies”: “Copies” are material objects, other than phonorecords, in which a work is fixed by any method now known or later devel

Here’s how US law defines “copies”: “Copies” are material objects, other than phonorecords, in which a work is fixed by any method now known or later developed, and from which the work can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. 17 USC 101. There’s no way to look at your brain to perceive, reproduce, or communicate a work that you looked at, so under US law, your neurons are not a copy. As for decoding a video to display it on a television, yes, that process requires making copies. That is why if you don’t have a license to a work, then decoding and displaying it is copyright infringement.