VHS to DVD - again!

woo

that is the stateside fair use policy which is much better defined that ours.

superscaper

Just found a reference that The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 specifically allows the making of back-up copies of software, but usually only one copy providing it is for lawful use. Not sure whether this has been supersceded but at least I hadn't imagined it.

superscaper

Exact wording from the amended copyright act
"Back up copies.
50A.—(1) It is not an infringement of copyright for a lawful user of a copy of a computer program to make any back up copy of it which it is necessary for him to have for the purposes of his lawful use."

woo

Thanks for that - standing corrected Was a while since i studied copyright @ uni and obviously missed that..

superscaper

I don't know why they can't make laws easier to understand for us simpletons. On the news today they mentioned something about Labour introducing over 3000 new offences since they've been in power. How are you meant to keep up with what you are and aren't allowed to do?

superscaper

woo wrote:

Thanks for that - standing corrected Was a while since i studied copyright @ uni and obviously missed that..

No probs, I usually get confused between laws and cases between USA and here anyway, especially with people like the RIAA stretching out beyond their juristiction to take people to court in European countries. It's all so overcomplicated, I sometimes feel like giving up and living in a cave somewhere, although there will probably be lots of property application forms to fill in :eek:

shilling

superscaper wrote:

Yes, as far as I know that's illegal.

if the dvd is a backup of the legitimately owned video cassette, then it is not copied for malpractice or profit. It is perfectly arguable that videos deteriorate over time and use, so to preserve the property, a copy is made.

How a video cassette has the intelligence in PLAY mode to work out someone is recording it elsewhere, I'm not quite sure.

You connect your VCR to DVD line in, press play on vcr, and record on the dvd/hdd recorder. watch the film if you like or return in time for film's ending to press stop on the recorder unit.

albertross_2

The Recorder has the intelligence, not the source VCR. Commercial videos are (were) recorded with macrovision which confuses the recording level circuits of the recorder/second VCR. The only way around this issue is to filter out the signal.

superscaper

shilling wrote:

if the dvd is a backup of the legitimately owned video cassette, then it is not copied for malpractice or profit. It is perfectly arguable that videos deteriorate over time and use, so to preserve the property, a copy is made.

How a video cassette has the intelligence in PLAY mode to work out someone is recording it elsewhere, I'm not quite sure.

You connect your VCR to DVD line in, press play on vcr, and record on the dvd/hdd recorder. watch the film if you like or return in time for film's ending to press stop on the recorder unit.

According to the copyright act of 88 yes it is illegal, the rule about back up for computer programs is an exemption but vhs and dvd still fall under the law of not copying even for personal use.