Is it legal to copy a DVD?
Is it legal to rip all of my discs?I want to know if there's a definitive answer in most of the articles I'm reading.Is it possible that I will get sued if I rip my discs for use on my computer?
Let's break this down into its basic parts, because you ask a number of different questions at once.There are a number of different answers to the legality of ripping.Here's what you need to know.You should check with a lawyer in your country for more information if you're not in the US.
The legality question was answered by our legal expert, who is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Arizona.The legality of ripping copy-protected content, which includes nearly every DVD and Blu-Ray disc you'd buy in the store, is a bit simpler.
You've violated Title I of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act if you crack Digital Rights Managemnt to rip the DVD.17 U.S.C.1201 does not allow circumvention of DRM...Most courts have not tried to leaven this rule.The question is whether circumvention is legal.Our ripper doesn't fall into any of the exceptions set up by the statute.The moment a studio protects the DVD, it gains both a technical and legal advantage.
It's one of the ways most of us are breaking the law without even knowing it.It is sadly not legal to rip a DVD you own.Will you be caught?There is some wiggle room.
You have an advantage if you don't care about legality but are worried about being sued.Since you don't share the files on your computer, no one can snoop on what you're doing, so it's highly unlikely that you will ever be caught for this.Unless you were to have your hard drives seized by the authorities, no one will know.