Is ripping DVDs legal?

[Dave2002]

DVDs have been around for over 20 years now. Obviously when they were introduced much of the material was copyrighted, and there was no other practical way of playing or accessing the material. Now very few people still actually use DVDs (I believe) and in some jurisdictions it may now be legal to rip the material to a more useful form (e.g. mp4) for personal viewing.

What is the situation in the UK? Perhaps it is as murky as the "rip CD" fiasco, which for a while enabled us all to explicitly rip CDs for use with mp3 players, but the legislation was reversed - though presumably it has not been in anyone's interest to pursue this apart from any people or organisations blatantly flouting this for profit.

One issue now is that the hardware end users have may "require" broadcast from a computer to a TV (e.g. via Airplay - using Chromecast or Apple TV or similar) so effectively a decrypt or rip process needs to be in place between the DVD drive and the rest of the viewing system.

[Bryn]

It's a funny old situation. As I understand it, there was an attempt to prosecute the author(s) of DVD Shrink in the USA, though the software ended up being banned from sale, it was not banned from distribution as freeware (this possibly an oversight). So, the software to do the job, including changing the region code, is freely available. Using it to rip copyright material is another matter, however.

[Dave2002]

Using it to rip copyright material is another matter, however.

I agree, though there may be "allowable" exceptions. The situation in the USA is probably different, as at least I think it would be legal for the purposes of personal viewing with domestic TV kit in a home - which technically it might not be in the UK. Further exceptions might apply to lecturers using small portions of such DVDs for educational purposes (I'm not sure how that holds up these days ....) and perhaps private viewings where no charge is made - though I think doing that for blockbuster films would attract interest and could result in (maybe very ....) hefty penalties. For other material, practicalities may mean that limited use would not be penalised - though could be. Problems could arise in theory for DVDs made by many groups, where it would be feasible to ask for permission of one of the copyright holders, but in practice hard to obtain permission from all of them in time to be useful.

An additional complication (or not) in some jurisdictions is that an explicit copyright notice is not required. This is the situation in the UK. Thus amateur productions which are released on DVD - usually for the benefit of those participating in whatever was recorded, or their family and friends - would be copyright protected automatically, though some people might also put on an explicit copyright symbol. Indeed, I have made DVDs of this nature, and I expect them to be used appropriately. Subject to having time to do the work, I would also supply the content material in other more convenient forms if any of the relevant participants/organisations wanted me to. There is not much point in making write once, read zero material, after all.

[Old Grumpy]

DVDs have been around for over 20 years now. Obviously when they were introduced much of the material was copyrighted, and there was no other practical way of playing or accessing the material. Now very few people still actually use DVDs (I believe) and in some jurisdictions it may now be legal to rip the material to a more useful form (e.g. mp4) for personal viewing.

What is the situation in the UK? Perhaps it is as murky as the "rip CD" fiasco, which for a while enabled us all to explicitly rip CDs for use with mp3 players, but the legislation was reversed - though presumably it has not been in anyone's interest to pursue this apart from any people or organisations blatantly flouting this for profit.

One issue now is that the hardware end users have may "require" broadcast from a computer to a TV (e.g. via Airplay - using Chromecast or Apple TV or similar) so effectively a decrypt or rip process needs to be in place between the DVD drive and the rest of the viewing system.

I find a DVD player is very good for viewing DVDs,and is, so I understand, legal.

OG

*One of the few remaining DVD users apparently!

[Dave2002]

I find a DVD player is very good for viewing DVDs,and is, so I understand, legal.

OG

*One of the few remaining DVD users apparently!

Not necessarily legal - depends where you show it, and to whom.

Can be tricky to cue up on exact sections, so for some applications too clunky.

Plus DVD players are not so portable.

We do use them (DVDs), though we hardly bother with video cassettes now.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I still buy DVDs and Blu-rays. If people didn't watch them, they wouldn't sell them.

No freezing, buffering and other web problems to worry about.

[Dave2002]

I have a very specific interest in some more technical DVDs, parts of which could be really good for talks I’m intending to give. I can work round this, without “going illegal” if I have to.

Regarding entertainment CDs, DVD players and Blu Ray machines are good, but I suspect that hardly any young people use them. Maybe they don’t bother, or get video downloads, but some might be ripping DVDs for their iPads, iPhones etc., and some might build up a repository on a large hard drive for local streaming. They’re not necessarily intending to rip off the producers, but rather trying to find more convenient ways for them to access the material.

It is interesting looking for DVD rippers on the Apple App Store to find that there are quite a number. Some of the free ones put watermarks on the output files, but some of the others probably don’t and are quite cheap. Like owning a gun, some come with warnings about using them, and some won’t actually rip DRM protected DVDs - which in practice might be almost all of them.

[Bryn]

I have a very specific interest in some more technical DVDs, parts of which could be really good for talks I’m intending to give. I can work round this, without “going illegal” if I have to.

Regarding entertainment CDs, DVD players and Blu Ray machines are good, but I suspect that hardly any young people use them. Maybe they don’t bother, or get video downloads, but some might be ripping DVDs for their iPads, iPhones etc., and some might build up a repository on a large hard drive for local streaming. They’re not necessarily intending to rip off the producers, but rather trying to find more convenient ways for them to access the material.

It is interesting looking for DVD rippers on the Apple App Store to find that there are quite a number. Some of the free ones put watermarks on the output files, but some of the others probably don’t and are quite cheap. Like owning a gun, some come with warnings about using them, and some won’t actually rip DRM protected DVDs - which in practice might be almost all of them.

The Windows program "DVD Shrink", mentioned earlier, has no problems with any 'copy protected' commercial DVDs, as far as I know. I tend to use it for backing up and archiving those DVDs I have which have become hard to replace otherwise. DVD 9s can be compressed to DVD 5s, (hence the "Shrink") or copied to DVD-R 9s if available and the burner is compatible.

[Stunsworth]

I find a DVD player is very good for viewing DVDs,and is, so I understand, legal

Provided you’re not on an oil rig or in prison of course.

[Dave2002]

The Windows program "DVD Shrink", mentioned earlier, has no problems with any 'copy protected' commercial DVDs, as far as I know. I tend to use it for backing up and archiving those DVDs I have which have become hard to replace otherwise. DVD 9s can be compressed to DVD 5s, (hence the "Shrink") or copied to DVD-R 9s if available and the burner is compatible.

Indeed, though I no longer use any form of Windows system. It would also be up to the user to decide whether the action would be "appropriate".

For my purposes since I have time I may even write to the copyright holder(s) of the DVDs to ask for permission to use or copy their DVDs.
I suppose it's just possible that some DVDs would have the conditions splashed somewhere in the content, though almost all commercial ones would not permit almost any use. Educational ones might have less restrictive constrains.

I didn't know about oil rigs! http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/...-on-an-oil-rig

[teamsaint]

I have a very specific interest in some more technical DVDs, parts of which could be really good for talks I’m intending to give. I can work round this, without “going illegal” if I have to.

Regarding entertainment CDs, DVD players and Blu Ray machines are good, but I suspect that hardly any young people use them. Maybe they don’t bother, or get video downloads, but some might be ripping DVDs for their iPads, iPhones etc., and some might build up a repository on a large hard drive for local streaming. They’re not necessarily intending to rip off the producers, but rather trying to find more convenient ways for them to access the material.

It is interesting looking for DVD rippers on the Apple App Store to find that there are quite a number. Some of the free ones put watermarks on the output files, but some of the others probably don’t and are quite cheap. Like owning a gun, some come with warnings about using them, and some won’t actually rip DRM protected DVDs - which in practice might be almost all of them.

Lots of DVDs are still sold. Even the supermarkets devote a decent bit of space to them.

Younger people do tend to have different habits, but many do still buy, and the death of physical media has been predicted many times, inaccurately.
Blu ray seems to be pretty buoyant, and is finding new markets, in music for example.

[Dave2002]

Lots of DVDs are still sold. Even the supermarkets devote a decent bit of space to them.

Younger people do tend to have different habits, but many do still buy, and the death of physical media has been predicted many times, inaccurately.
Blu ray seems to be pretty buoyant, and is finding new markets, in music for example.

I never suggested they didn't - though I hinted that some may not, for various reasons. However, many "may" be "illegally" ripping these into different formats for use with their gadgets.

I quite often buy DVDs from Poundland (guess how much....).

[Bryn]

. . . I quite often buy DVDs from Poundland (guess how much....).

Difficult to know these days since both Poundland and Pound World charge more than £1 for quite a few things.

[Dave2002]

Difficult to know these days since both Poundland and Pound World charge more than £1 for quite a few things.

Yes - but those are exceptions. Anyway you wouldn't expect me to pay more than £1 would you?

[Stunsworth]

Speaking of price, I notice that now Apple sells 4k HDR films they’ve priced them at roughly half the price as the corresponding 4k HDR Blu-Ray.

Of of course you’ll need a compatible TV and Apple TV box to view them.