Re: Harry Potter All in one

Dan wrote:
Clell Harmon wrote:

For example... consider if I had a DVD at home that I bought and I
want to make a backup copy of it.

You are entitled under current international copyright law to make a backup copy. You are NOT entitled to download a backup copy. That is theft of intellectual property.

Not at all. How am I stealing something I already own? The copy has no
intrinsic value to me. It is just something I already own but in
another format.

Buying a dvd does not mean the movie belongs to you. The movie belongs to the copyright holder. What you own when you buy the dvd is the dvd. Current law allows you to make a single copy for archival purposes, it does NOT allow you to download a copy from somewhere else. To claim otherwise is at best a rationalization of your criminal acts, at worst a public display of abject ignorance.

Fortunately most companies know the difference between outright theft/piracy and keeping their existing customers happy rather than anally sticking 100% to the rules. An old flatmate of mine recieved a letter from a film studios lawyers saying that in conjunction with his ISP they had noticed he had downloaded one of their films. He wrote to them explaining that he understood that he was allowed to make a backup but had none of the software needed or a DVD drive on his computer to make a backup so he did it this way to put it on a CD instead and have the convenience of watching it on his PC not just tying up the TV in the other room. He included a photo of him holding the DVD version that he owned. They wrote back and said that they understood and wouldn't be taking it any further, although pointing out it was technically against the law and would rather he found another way to get a backup.

Your friend was lucky. Look at the cases the Music companies have brought against people.

It is still illegal, I agree with you. However it is not in any companies interest to attack people that have already paid for their product but want it on a medium not offered by them. If HP was available to legitimatly buy as an e-book then they could frown upon people downloading it like that. As long as it isn't available, people that prefer reading books electronically will be distributing versions amongst themselves. I read almost exclusively on my PDA nowdays, buying books/magazines from sites like fictionwise.com because it is far more convenient than carrying physical books around with me. If a book I want is not available to buy as an e-book I pay for the normal version and download it from somewhere else to actually read. I have paid for it and I read it the way I chose to. A few times I have emailed publishers to tell them what I am doing and asked if an e-book version will ever be available. Generally they just say 'not planned at this time' or don't reply but I've never been threatened with legal action.

I am a software developer as well. If I found a customer that had paid for a product had downloaded it from somewhere to be in a better format (i.e. it came on 4 CD's but he wanted it on 1 DVD or vice versa) then I would probably ask if I could help not start shouting and yelling at them. That would be a terrible way to run a business. If they hadn't paid for the software then of course I would do something about it. If the software was already available in the format they wanted and they bought a different version then I would point it out to them and offer a straight swap or the upgrade price. Alienating existing customers = very bad = lower profit.

If a customer wanted his code in a different format I'd same day mail it to him in what ever format he wanted with a paid return tag for the original media. If I found that he had pirated the code needed to add additional terminals to what he had paid for, I'd bring legal action. Alienating a customer who steals from me isn't a problem for me at all.
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Harry Potter All in one
    ... want to make a backup copy of it. ... Buying a dvd does not mean the movie belongs to you. ... Current law allows you to make a single copy for archival purposes, it does NOT allow you to download a copy from somewhere else. ... However it is not in any companies interest to attack people that have already paid for their product but want it on a medium not offered by them. ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: Harry Potter All in one
    ... want to make a backup copy of it. ... Buying a dvd does not mean the movie belongs to you. ... Current law allows you to make a single copy for archival purposes, it does NOT allow you to download a copy from somewhere else. ... However it is not in any companies interest to attack people that have already paid for their product but want it on a medium not offered by them. ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: Harry Potter All in one
    ... want to make a backup copy of it. ... You are NOT entitled to download a backup copy. ... Buying a dvd does not mean the movie belongs to you. ... to legitimatly buy as an e-book then they could frown upon people ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: Harry Potter All in one
    ... want to make a backup copy of it. ... Buying a dvd does not mean the movie belongs to you. ... Current law allows you to make a single copy for archival purposes, it does NOT allow you to download a copy from somewhere else. ... Not to mention the record companies. ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
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