Is it legal?

Slippin Jimmy

I have a dvd that I want to copy for some friends. I was just wondering is it legal to copy the dvd and give it to them free of charge?

Royale with Cheese

No of course it isn't, assuming you're talking about a proper dvd and not one of home movies or something.

Capt'n Midnight

DonnybrookGhost wrote:

I have a dvd that I want to copy for some friends. I was just wondering is it legal to copy the dvd and give it to them free of charge?

If it is an open source CD / DVD then of course you can copy it (unless it's using an odd license)


IANAL but AFAIK

Only if -
you have permission from the copyright holder (not the Artist unless they still have the copyright)

or

the copyright has expired ( most recent material this would apply to would be 50 year old broadcasts - there are some early US TV shows available already - , but not 50 year old LP records and other non broadcast stuff, otherwise 70-90 years after death of last surviving artist)

or

the copyright notice explicitly states that copying is allowed cf. GNU and most other open source licensed

or

something else

Slippin Jimmy

Thanks for the replys, I will just give them a load of the dvd instead

Karoma

Hmmm...so ..it isn't O.S.S. / GPL'd stuff on the DVD...
So, the question I have is: why post here?

henbane

Karoma wrote:

So, the question I have is: why post here?

Cos everyone who uses OSS is a pirate. Yarrrrr!

Capt'n Midnight

henbane wrote:

Cos everyone who uses OSS is a pirate. Yarrrrr!

Given the amount of casual copying of software I would say that the reverse is true. In fact I'd say that over 90% of home users ( excluding only those who only use software that needs activation) have broken a license agreement at some stage.

Hobart

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

In fact I'd say that over 90% of home users ( excluding only those who only use software that needs activation) have broken a license agreement at some stage.

I would say that 87.63% of stats are made up.

NutJob

agh make it 90 while figure are being made up

It actually illegal to loan D.V.Ds 2 (in the case of the video Sony type ones)


grrrrr Sony

Karoma

I'd say 99.9% break or have broken a software license (They're ridiculous, and often infringe on basic, statuory rights).
Anyhow...shhh...and, um, yarr!

rogue-entity

It is not so much the rediculous licencing terms, I often get software and install it on all my PCs. It is just cheaper. The main reason that people will pirate software is because some software is just ridiculously overpriced.

Windows XP Pro > 300Eur
Office 2003 Pro > 500Eur
Dreamweaver 499
Studio 999Eur!

Adobe PhotoShop 7 > 599Eur

Who other then corporations, will pay these often outrageous sums for a CD and a really useful program. Photoshop, Dreamweaver, OfficeXP and WindowsXP is probably the most pirated software.

I hate to say it but in most cases there are now decent OpenSource alternatives to these software packages. For Windows you have Linux; For OfficeXP you have OpenOffice2. But there is not replacement for Dreamweaver and Photoshop. (The Gimp is no match for PhotoShop)

jaqian

rogue-entity wrote:

(The Gimp is no match for PhotoShop)

Yet! Give it time.

democrates

jaqian wrote:

Yet! Give it time.

And check out gimpshop, gimp for photoshop phreaks...