Does making backup copies of DVD's that you personally have purchased and still have in your possession fall under the fair use law or is it illegal?
I think the term "archive copy" is applicable in that regard and is legal. However, I am not completely certain.
In the USA it is against the law to use programs that circumvent copy protection. So if achieving this (Making a backup under the fare use act) means using a copy protection circumventing program then at that time using that program you are breaking the law. If your from another country then I don't know what to tell you. Just know the law here in the states.
Here is some reading for you....basically what Larry stated, but not in a nutshell. http://www.burningbits.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2497
You know I can understand if a person made copies and gave them to all their friends or started selling them. All I want is to make a backup copy so I don't mess up the originals! It isn't my fault that a DVD is so fragile and easy to scratch. If the studios want to give me a new copy every time that the original gets messed up then I will stop making copies of them. It all comes down to greed and control, thats the bottom line.
Many commercial movies are protected. Not all movies are protected. Unfortunately, current interpretation of laws in some countries, including the US, prohibits distribution of software that has the ability to copy commerical movies. May people live outside the United States, and the laws in other countries are not the same as those in the U.S. If you live in a country where you are allowed to freely use available DVD software If you live in the United States, please understand that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed in 1998 does not expressly prohibit consumers from making backup copies of digital works - only the sale & distribution of tools that circumvent copy prevention technologies.
