Now that I know it really is too good to be true, I feel better.
Though I could use a supply of new coasters!
DVD Library
Funny enough there are some good films. The Eagle Has Landed with Michael Caine is one I remember. Also my newspaper is giving away a different comedy DVD every day for a week. Bad news is you have to go to W H Smiths to pick em up. First one though was delivered, and it was Only Fools & Horses. You dont get better than that. Take your point though some of the DVD's aint so good, you just have to be choosey
You dont get better than that. Take your point though some of the DVD's aint so good, you just have to be choosey Not quite MAD but working on it
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Mick,
You are right! I was being very dismissive! There's probably something for everyone, you just have to pick and choose and use the rest as coasters or scare-crows.
What do you do to overcome copy protection and region codes when you want to copy a commercial DVD? Perhaps you are talking about copying VHS tapes to DVD
Alan
You are right! I was being very dismissive! There's probably something for everyone, you just have to pick and choose and use the rest as coasters or scare-crows.
What do you do to overcome copy protection and region codes when you want to copy a commercial DVD? Perhaps you are talking about copying VHS tapes to DVD
Alan
I'm talking mainly of copying films straight from the telly.[Quality is much better than tape btw] But it is possible to make back up copies of your own DVD's. Its a very grey area between personal copies etc etc, as already discussed. My feeling is as long as its for your own use and theres no personal gain involved you should be OK. Otherwise anyone whos got a copy of a film or TV proggy on video is a pirate
I'll get my stripped shirt, cutlass and eye patch shall I?
I'll get my stripped shirt, cutlass and eye patch shall I?
Not quite MAD but working on it
Has anyone had experience of downloading movies from the net?
I want to build up my dvd library in my apartment. I am considering buying a recordable DVD player to record movies from the telly. I had a quick look on the internet to see what was available for download. Came across this site bestmoviedownloads.com who offer movies for £1.79 per month for a 2 year membership. Sounds good value if you can keep up to date with the movies. There seems to be quite a few sites doing the same thing.
I assume because you pay a subscription, there are no copyright issues.
Marion
I want to build up my dvd library in my apartment. I am considering buying a recordable DVD player to record movies from the telly. I had a quick look on the internet to see what was available for download. Came across this site bestmoviedownloads.com who offer movies for £1.79 per month for a 2 year membership. Sounds good value if you can keep up to date with the movies. There seems to be quite a few sites doing the same thing.
I assume because you pay a subscription, there are no copyright issues.
Marion
"Has anyone had experience of downloading movies from the net"
Marion,
A young student in France who did that not long ago found herself in court, with a prison sentence. The police in France actively track down web copying - it's easy - I guess they only prosecute a small number of people but it's probably a bad idea from any point of view to try it.
Marion,
A young student in France who did that not long ago found herself in court, with a prison sentence. The police in France actively track down web copying - it's easy - I guess they only prosecute a small number of people but it's probably a bad idea from any point of view to try it.
Best,
Alexia.
Alexia.
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Marion,
P2P means peer-to-peer. They are networks initially conceived for file sharing across the Internet. They are under heavy attack because they are being abused for the distribution of copyright material, e.g. films and music.
In very general terms, it is not a breach of copyright if you own an original VHS/CD/DVD and take a copy for personal use only. Otherwise, it is a breach of copyright. Clearly, copies made through a P2P source is a breach of copyright and, in many countries, is a criminal offence.
Making a copy from VHS to DVD is rarely a problem - VHS's are not copy protected. Making a copy from DVD to VHS/DVD is quite different. Most commercial DVD's contain copy protection software which makes it impossible to "dub" them without special tools. I have posted "how can I do it?" elsewhere on this forum.
Regards
Alan
P2P means peer-to-peer. They are networks initially conceived for file sharing across the Internet. They are under heavy attack because they are being abused for the distribution of copyright material, e.g. films and music.
In very general terms, it is not a breach of copyright if you own an original VHS/CD/DVD and take a copy for personal use only. Otherwise, it is a breach of copyright. Clearly, copies made through a P2P source is a breach of copyright and, in many countries, is a criminal offence.
Making a copy from VHS to DVD is rarely a problem - VHS's are not copy protected. Making a copy from DVD to VHS/DVD is quite different. Most commercial DVD's contain copy protection software which makes it impossible to "dub" them without special tools. I have posted "how can I do it?" elsewhere on this forum.
Regards
Alan
Marion, if you want to download things, including films, then you need to use a peer-to-peer application. I have used a free programme called "E-mule". This is absolutely free. There are no subscriptions involved. There is no spyware, adware etc in the programme. You can use the programme to download copyrighted material, but it is up to you to decide if this is the right thing for you to do. Do NOT pay for a "subscription" to any site saying you can download films etc. This is a blatant 'rip-off' and gives you nothing more than you can get for free elsewhere.
When receiving material via the "E-mule" prog you automatically make it available to others. So until your download is complete, and until you remove the complete file out of the programme, you could be sending copyrighted material to others. This "sending to others" would definitely be considered illegal, pretty much in all countries. The debate about this is long and winding..... But the risks of getting caught are extremely low, so this is more a problem of conscience, than anything else.
Also, you may like to consider a recent court case in france where an individual was taken to court for having downloaded 100's of films, and copied them on to DVD's for his own use. In france there is a tax levied on blank CD's and DVD's, which explains why they are so expensive here compared to the UK.This tax was demanded by music and film companies to compensate them for losses due to copying on this blank media. So when this individual went to court his defence was that the companies whose copyrighted material he had copied had already been compensated through the tax he had paid. The judge accepted this and dismissed the case.
So, until such time as this judgement is reversed, it is not illegal to copy such material onto media you have paid tax on in france.
A number of countries have a similar tax or compensation paid to organisations such as the RIAA (Recording Industry of America) MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) BPI (British Phonographic Industry) etc. There is no known example of any of these organisations actually passing on any of this money to the artists that are supposed to be being compensated.
Good Luck!!
When receiving material via the "E-mule" prog you automatically make it available to others. So until your download is complete, and until you remove the complete file out of the programme, you could be sending copyrighted material to others. This "sending to others" would definitely be considered illegal, pretty much in all countries. The debate about this is long and winding..... But the risks of getting caught are extremely low, so this is more a problem of conscience, than anything else.
Also, you may like to consider a recent court case in france where an individual was taken to court for having downloaded 100's of films, and copied them on to DVD's for his own use. In france there is a tax levied on blank CD's and DVD's, which explains why they are so expensive here compared to the UK.This tax was demanded by music and film companies to compensate them for losses due to copying on this blank media. So when this individual went to court his defence was that the companies whose copyrighted material he had copied had already been compensated through the tax he had paid. The judge accepted this and dismissed the case.
So, until such time as this judgement is reversed, it is not illegal to copy such material onto media you have paid tax on in france.
A number of countries have a similar tax or compensation paid to organisations such as the RIAA (Recording Industry of America) MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) BPI (British Phonographic Industry) etc. There is no known example of any of these organisations actually passing on any of this money to the artists that are supposed to be being compensated.
Good Luck!!
"So, until such time as this judgement is reversed, it is not illegal to copy such material onto media you have paid tax on in france."
Just one note: it will be illegal to give these copied dvd's to visitors in your rental accommodation (it will not be for your own use).
It is an interesting judgement and I would be surprised if it were not upheld if it goes to appeal.
More generally, I wouldn't want my visitors to think that I was a dishonest person, as I always keep my fingers crossed that they are honest. Copied dvd's could send the wrong message.
Just one note: it will be illegal to give these copied dvd's to visitors in your rental accommodation (it will not be for your own use).
It is an interesting judgement and I would be surprised if it were not upheld if it goes to appeal.
More generally, I wouldn't want my visitors to think that I was a dishonest person, as I always keep my fingers crossed that they are honest. Copied dvd's could send the wrong message.
Best,
Alexia.
Alexia.
Yes, copied DVD's, CD's etc, containing copyrighted material could pose problems if given to guests. I entirely agree about your sentiment of not wanting to appear "dodgy".
So what about guests watching British Satellite tv that is only available for British resident subscribers?
Or programmes recorded off the telly?
Or those 'free' discs on the sunday papers?
If you mention anything like this in your advertising then surely you are attempting to 'profit' from them?
I think this is a case of "use your discetion".
And, of course, encourage your guests to bring their own, which resolves the problem (I think?).
After all, maybe they've got something you haven't seen yet?
So what about guests watching British Satellite tv that is only available for British resident subscribers?
Or programmes recorded off the telly?
Or those 'free' discs on the sunday papers?
If you mention anything like this in your advertising then surely you are attempting to 'profit' from them?
I think this is a case of "use your discetion".
And, of course, encourage your guests to bring their own, which resolves the problem (I think?).
After all, maybe they've got something you haven't seen yet?
I thought you were OK (as someone may have already said).. if you are copying a DVD that you already own, ie. as a backup copy. We have a mixture at our house - some are originals some are copies of stuff we have originals of in the UK, but I do think that people are less likely to pinch a copy than they are an original. If they pinch them at all. I like to hope that guests enjoy the use of such things themselves and would understand that if they go off home with them, that's depriving the next guest.
Fave 'family' films as far as I'm concerned - are Shrek, Freaky Friday, School of Rock, Bruce Almighty and I could personally watch Black Books again and again, so that's at our place too. I think the series of 'Cold Feet' would probably go down well too..
Talking of newspaper DVD's, some of the CDs that you get from magazines and newspapers are pretty good too, specially when it comes to stuff you might not necessarily buy yourself. I wouldn't buy classical music personally but I've got a few classical music cds from papers and I've been known to listen to them myself if we are staying at the house, just because I'm on holiday and its something different to what I'd normally listen to. But I digress....
Fave 'family' films as far as I'm concerned - are Shrek, Freaky Friday, School of Rock, Bruce Almighty and I could personally watch Black Books again and again, so that's at our place too. I think the series of 'Cold Feet' would probably go down well too..
Talking of newspaper DVD's, some of the CDs that you get from magazines and newspapers are pretty good too, specially when it comes to stuff you might not necessarily buy yourself. I wouldn't buy classical music personally but I've got a few classical music cds from papers and I've been known to listen to them myself if we are staying at the house, just because I'm on holiday and its something different to what I'd normally listen to. But I digress....
Nightowl
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
I came across this report recently. It might make interesting reading, particularly for those of us based in France.
French Court Declares DVD Copy Protection Illegal
April 28, 2005
By DRM Watch
In a landmark ruling last Friday, a French appeals court judged copy protection mechanisms in DVDs to be violations of French copyright law, specifically the part that allows consumers to make copies of content for themselves and for family members. The decision -- which overturned a lower court ruling -- could well have a ripple effect into other European Union countries, most of which have similar private copying provisions in their laws.
The particular case involves the film "Mulholland Drive" and the defendants Alain Sarde Films, Studio Canal, and Universal (the latter as distributor). It was brought in 2003 by the French consumer advocacy organization Union Fédérale des Consommateurs-Que Choisir (UFC-Que Choisir, analogs of Consumers Union in the United States) on behalf of a consumer who wanted to copy a DVD of the film onto videocassette for playback in the home of a relative who did not have a DVD player.
UFC-Que Chosir claims that this decision renders illegal 80 percent of DVDs, as well as any copy-protected CDs, on the market in France. The advocacy group filed a similar suit specifically against copy-protected CDs, also in 2003, as did its Belgian counterpart Test Aankoop/Test-Achats in early 2004 All of these actions also allege false product claims relating to failure to notify consumers about copy restrictions and (in the case of copy-protected CDs) player compatibility problems.
This decision is the first significant one in resolving the tension between DRM technologies and European private copying laws, and it won't be the last.
Yet the legal precedent in this case is not portable beyond the EU. In the UK and former British colonies, including the US, copyright laws do not afford consumers blanket rights to make copies of copyrighted works for personal or family use; instead, they rely on Fair Dealing (UK, Canada, Australia) or Fair Use (US) laws. Those laws require courts to make decisions on infringement claims by examining various factors, including the type of material and nature of use.
The decision does two things. Firstly, it clears the air in France, at least for the time being. Secondly, it illustrates very clearly that the laws of one country do not automatically apply to another country, not matter what the government of the first country might like to think.
There is an organisation, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which was set up in an attempt to standardise copyright law across the world. It has produced the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) which is a treaty requiring signatory countries to enforce particular rights of intellectual property owners in their national laws. The WIPO has over 150 signatory countries and some of those countries have endorsed and adopted the WCT.
Alan
French Court Declares DVD Copy Protection Illegal
April 28, 2005
By DRM Watch
In a landmark ruling last Friday, a French appeals court judged copy protection mechanisms in DVDs to be violations of French copyright law, specifically the part that allows consumers to make copies of content for themselves and for family members. The decision -- which overturned a lower court ruling -- could well have a ripple effect into other European Union countries, most of which have similar private copying provisions in their laws.
The particular case involves the film "Mulholland Drive" and the defendants Alain Sarde Films, Studio Canal, and Universal (the latter as distributor). It was brought in 2003 by the French consumer advocacy organization Union Fédérale des Consommateurs-Que Choisir (UFC-Que Choisir, analogs of Consumers Union in the United States) on behalf of a consumer who wanted to copy a DVD of the film onto videocassette for playback in the home of a relative who did not have a DVD player.
UFC-Que Chosir claims that this decision renders illegal 80 percent of DVDs, as well as any copy-protected CDs, on the market in France. The advocacy group filed a similar suit specifically against copy-protected CDs, also in 2003, as did its Belgian counterpart Test Aankoop/Test-Achats in early 2004 All of these actions also allege false product claims relating to failure to notify consumers about copy restrictions and (in the case of copy-protected CDs) player compatibility problems.
This decision is the first significant one in resolving the tension between DRM technologies and European private copying laws, and it won't be the last.
Yet the legal precedent in this case is not portable beyond the EU. In the UK and former British colonies, including the US, copyright laws do not afford consumers blanket rights to make copies of copyrighted works for personal or family use; instead, they rely on Fair Dealing (UK, Canada, Australia) or Fair Use (US) laws. Those laws require courts to make decisions on infringement claims by examining various factors, including the type of material and nature of use.
The decision does two things. Firstly, it clears the air in France, at least for the time being. Secondly, it illustrates very clearly that the laws of one country do not automatically apply to another country, not matter what the government of the first country might like to think.
There is an organisation, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which was set up in an attempt to standardise copyright law across the world. It has produced the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) which is a treaty requiring signatory countries to enforce particular rights of intellectual property owners in their national laws. The WIPO has over 150 signatory countries and some of those countries have endorsed and adopted the WCT.
Alan