DVD replication has come a long way recently. I could recall the times when I started burning CD-R's. Back then, It would take close to an hour to replicate only one CD. Now, I could put 6 times the amount of data into a single DVD in less than 1/6th of the time. With the advent of the internet, there was so many things to download. With all the freedom online, there have been more legal concerns with DVD replication.
The way the law is, you have the right to own and use your DVD replication equipment. However, it's what you do with it that may burn you. DVD duplication can become a very big legal issue. So whether it's a movie, some music, or any time of image, video, or audio, you have to determine if it is in fact copyrighted. If it is, you have to get permission from the owner to duplicate it. There are also cases where you must pay to duplicate the media. This can be in the form of a royalty.
Now what happens if you legally own the DVD? Should you have the freedom to do what you want with it? That are some fine guidelines that you must follow. Let's say that you make a copy of that DVD. In this case, you are not breaking the law. You are legally permitted to have a backup for your own personal purposes. Especially if it's a rare DVD - you can have a copy in case you're afraid that something might happen to the original.
So far, that's only part of the story. Again, that duplicated DVD is for your "personal" use. So what if you decide to let a friend borrow that DVD. You have now breaking the law.
Don't take this lightly. I knew a friend that came back from China. At the time, there were tons of bootlegged DVD's. You could find thousands of blockbuster movies that were recently released in the U.S. cinema. This person ended up buying four of these DVD's and packed them in his luggage on his trip back to the U.S.
When he arrived at the airport, they discovered the bootlegs. To make a long story short, he was fined $10,000 for each DVD. So that was a total of $40,000. Who knew if those movies were great or not. It wasn't worth that huge penalty. In fact, he had to sell his home to pay off the fine.
Now that you're informed, it is now up to you to make an educated decision. If you decide to duplicate copyrighted DVD's that you own, make sure that you don't loan them out. You never know what will happen once it get's out of your hands. Even if it's a friend that you trust, who knows if it will be viewed or seen by a person who you don't trust?
Teresa Tam is a frequent user of DVD duplicators. On her site, http://dvdreplication.justinformed.com, you'll find more information on the legal concerns of dvd replication. |
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