3 ms·

You should be careful with that advice, as virtually all media that you might want to backup contains drm, and there is no exemption to the DMCA for bypassing d

by c0pium 3y ago

You should be careful with that advice, as virtually all media that you might want to backup contains drm, and there is no exemption to the DMCA for bypassing drm for personal or archival (unless you’re a museum) use. There are such exemptions for things like critique and education.

johnnyanmac 3y ago
>and there is no exemption to the DMCA for bypassing drm for personal or archival (unless you’re a museum) use Sure, there technically isn't. But in reality, there's no practical way to enforce this without breaking much bigger laws. So very few companies care about some single person breaking DRM, if they are made aware at all. The main exception would come from online games. But the "worst" retaliation you'd get is your account being banned. THey may not even bother sending a C&D despite companies technically being able to detect it unless you were cheating (which breaks the EULA, different from DMCA).
- c0pium 3y ago
  Your comment isn’t responsive to what I wrote. I was making a very narrow point responding to the phrase “Legally you can make personal backups…” by pointing out that you frequently cannot legally make those backups. Whether it’s possible and whether you’re likely to face consequences have no bearing on it's legality.
  - johnnyanmac 3y ago
    >Whether it’s possible and whether you’re likely to face consequences have no bearing on it's legality. If a law is written but never enforced, is it really a law? On a technical level, yes. On a practical level, no. A law that is practically impossible to enforce is at best an add-on charge for someone being thrown the book for an actually enforced law, not one people worry about when weighing consequences. I don't think it's too productive to only talk in terms of spherical cows in a vacuum, so it's a point worth keeping in mind for anyone interested in such conversation.
hughesjj 3y ago
Depends if you rip it to mpeg or just dd it though right? True though, but I was hoping the 'subject to licensing restrictions' would cover it

by c0pium 3y ago

johnnyanmac 3y ago

>and there is no exemption to the DMCA for bypassing drm for personal or archival (unless you’re a museum) use Sure, there technically isn't. But in reality, there's no practical way to enforce this without breaking much bigger laws. So very few companies care about some single person breaking DRM, if they are made aware at all. The main exception would come from online games. But the "worst" retaliation you'd get is your account being banned. THey may not even bother sending a C&D despite companies technically being able to detect it unless you were cheating (which breaks the EULA, different from DMCA).

c0pium 3y ago
Your comment isn’t responsive to what I wrote. I was making a very narrow point responding to the phrase “Legally you can make personal backups…” by pointing out that you frequently cannot legally make those backups. Whether it’s possible and whether you’re likely to face consequences have no bearing on it's legality.
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  >Whether it’s possible and whether you’re likely to face consequences have no bearing on it's legality. If a law is written but never enforced, is it really a law? On a technical level, yes. On a practical level, no. A law that is practically impossible to enforce is at best an add-on charge for someone being thrown the book for an actually enforced law, not one people worry about when weighing consequences. I don't think it's too productive to only talk in terms of spherical cows in a vacuum, so it's a point worth keeping in mind for anyone interested in such conversation.

hughesjj 3y ago

Depends if you rip it to mpeg or just dd it though right? True though, but I was hoping the 'subject to licensing restrictions' would cover it