Cinematical

Well, as teenager I must say that I use copied DVDs. Why I must go and buy another one if my friend has the same?

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I remember recording songs directly off the radio when I was a kid because my parents wouldn't buy the tapes for me. I would wait with my finger hovering above the Play/Record combo, just praying that the DJ didn't make any inane comments over the beginning of the song. I didn't realize until recently that what I was doing was illegal (in the eyes of the RIAA).

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I dont understand why it's such a big deal to copy videos. (Not that I do it though,) Especially if the videos are super old, the ones that no one buys anymore. I think it shouldn't be illegal.

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the thing everyone seems to forget is that its still ok to copy movies and CDs. its not like the FBI is gonna bust down your door cuz you copied your buddies latest album. thats what the surcharge on VCRs, CD burnners, blank tape,and CDr's is for... to cover the "losses" from one-off copying.

on a related note. is anyone else wondering when the RIAA and MPAA are going to be investigated under antitrust law? they essentially represent the whole industry and set prices... that sounds like a monopoly to me.

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Kids: Pirate away any DVDs with anti-piracy ads on them, especially the unskippable ones. They are bloody annoying. What possible purpose do they serve except to annoy legitimate buyers of DVDs. Especially when Australian DVDs have FBI warnings on it. Seriously, what the hell?

I just bought a legitimite DVD box set and the DVDs came with smudges and crap on all of them. No way I would have bought them if I knew the company had such horrendous Quality Control. It may be because the DVDs are double sided, but really there is no excuse.

I would have been better off downloading pirated versions rather than buying it.

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Pirating is such a difficult issue. Whatever the stance, it is illegal, so don't get caught.

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So is taking songs off a friend's iTunes library illegal?

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Well, unfortunately this point is about to be rendered moot and decided for us by the software/hardware designers. HD and Blu-ray both have such stringent copy protection controls built into both formats that neither will lend themselves to copying easily for a long, long time. I am a firm believer in the Fair Use Doctrine that was decided way back when Betamax was brought up on criminal charges. I find it utterly ridiculous that those who seek to sell their wares are so quick to make those who wish to own copies criminals. Their strongarm tactics nearly crushed this industry before it even began. Until Fair Use was made law, there was no Home Media industry at all. Prerecorded video cassettes were $70-$100 apiece and there were no such things as movie rentals. Fair Use injected the world wide economy with millions and millions of dollars, creating triple digit growth in a once nonexistant industry. These idiots are strangling their own companies with their short sightedness.

This industry is far from maturing, truly it is just now hitting its stride. With all the new forms of delivery possible, it just doesn't make sense to bottleneck everything over Fair Use of product that has been bought and paid for. Don't make criminals of your customers - the life blood of your company. The real value to the studios is NOT their product they continuously churn out, it is their customer base. They are fools not to see this. There will always be product for the studios to sell. Customers on the other hand are the real Golden Egg. Take care of what REALLY keeps you in business - us.

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If they dont want people copying things they shouldnt sell VCR's that R(ecord)or radios the have a Rec button or DVR's. I think that it should be legall to share media with others by means of copies why pay to get the exact same thing someone else has. Next it will be illegal for anyone but the person who bought it to watch or listen to it

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