Are subpoenas on the horizon for rippers?

[videobread]

Are subpoenas on the horizon for US Video Help members? I don't believe so - but.... This site has been contacted by the industry and is being monitored. They don't like people copying their DVD's. They want you to buy them. Forum members have left an audit trail of their copying activities in the form of posts. Backing up even the DVD's you own is illegal in the US per the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 2000. The fair use doctrine no longer exists in the US for digital material. Recent posts have referred to copying Casino Royale and The Queen, etc. The posts are evidence.
Recently the music industry requested the names of students who were downloading music. Then they sent the students letters of intent to file suit. Recent cases that went to court resulted in judgements against down loaders. In one case, the downloading of 5 songs resulted in a judgement of $5,000. In another case, the downloading of 11 songs resulted in a judgement of $9,000.
Exposure is something to be aware of. I would hate to see members of this forum made an example of. Hope it never comes to that. Just food for thought. Hope I did not alarm anyone.

[Noahtuck]

I smell paranoia creeping up on someone

Make sure to check under your bed tonight before you go to sleep

I'm sorry... it's just so ridiculous on so many level's 8)

[nwo]

The MPAA can stick the subpoena up it's ass, if the U.S. UK, CIA, FBI, MI5, MI6 & NATO can't find osama bin
laden how the hell are the MPAA Nazis gonna sue a few people in a forum talking.

[Forum Troll]

Posts here wouldn't be admitted as evidence, as they are heresay. You can't prove definitively who posted what. You would need someone to testify that they saw the person physically at the computer typing the messages, and i doubt they could find such witnesses.

[videobread]

Yes subpoenas sound crazy, but so does 9156 views and 80 posts on how to back up Casino Royale! Found in the DVD to DVDR / HDDVD & Blu-ray backup section of videohelp.com. The Fair Use Doctrine is no longer in effect in the US. Subpoenas would go to videohelp.com. Might be smart to just read and RipIt4Me and not post. Do 80 posts really add anything to the info base?

[RabidDog]

I killed JFK, do they really need any more evidence than that?

[Noahtuck]

Yes subpoenas sound crazy, but so does 9156 views and 80 posts on how to back up Casino Royale! Found in the DVD to DVDR / HDDVD & Blu-ray backup section of videohelp.com. The Fair Use Doctrine is no longer in effect in the US. Subpoenas would go to videohelp.com. Might be smart to just read and RipIt4Me and not post. Do 80 posts really add anything to the info base?

Then don't post in them.... but it's too late now.... they are on the way to your house at this very moment just from seeing your screen name here, because they know everything from the secret code inserted into your VHelp screen name as it is displayed... but only they can see it with their scanner built on alien technology obtained from roswell

[tinker]

I do not think that videobread is totally off the wall.
Just read some articles at AfterDown.com to see what is going on.
Industry is pushing lawmakers to allow them to ask ISP to provide personal info on your account.
Not that I worry too much, but big brother is watching.
I came from a place where this was quite normal (watching).

[Noahtuck]

Industry is pushing lawmakers to allow them to ask ISP to provide personal info on your account.

That's not quite the same type of situation as this thread... they have already been getting personal info from ISP's but that is usually for file sharing like with kazaa ect., & torrent site's need to be run in or through a country/server they can get to, first they would have to either get to baldrick, who own's the site and is in the same place as piratebay i believe, if you know anything about piratebay & "the man" trying to shut them down or get info , or through his hosting company, not sure where that is or what they could even obtain from that...
On top of all that & prob. more i'm not even thinking of at the moment.... we are not transfering, hosting, condoning warez, file sharing, ect. ect. ect.

They even went after LightningUK for DVD Decrypter and this site can no longer host for DL the program... yet we can link to other site's that do host it for DL.

Wasting time trying to go after all the people that BU their own dvd's in their own home would be like trying to go after all the million's of people who have recorded billions of hours of video off tv onto VHS over the last 20 years to keep and watch.... the world would just be 1 big prison

There are ton's & ton's of well known torrent site's about, there is a reason alot of the more famous one's have went untouched, they are place's the law does not allow the industry to go after.

I'm pretty sure they have much bigger fish to fry then to worry about a few people backing up their copy of "tarzan - Animated" for their kid's to watch on a car trip so the original does not get wrecked

Now if everyone was mass producing bootleg's for sale i could see a need for worry

[lordsmurf]

The Fair Use Doctrine is no longer in effect in the US.

That is an opinion you read somewhere, not a fact. It's far more complicated than even judges and lawmakers seem to understand. A direct case against DVD ripping has never to trial as far as I am aware.

I fully believe online discussion of how to copy discs you rented is retarded. On the other hand, making additional copies for your own protection, of movies you purchased, is completely understandable and hurts nobody. The problem is discerning who did what. This is why the site has an AUP, and will shut down conversations that are clearly a violation of what is and is not acceptable behavior by its posters.

This is where freedom of speech comes in. Another complex topic that few people seem to actually understand, due to the exemptions, exclusions, and who it applies to.

[tinker]

That's not quite the same type of situation as this thread... they have already been getting personal info from ISP's but that is usually for file sharing like with kazaa ect., & torrent site's need to be run in or through a country/server they can get to, first they would have to either get to baldrick, who own's the site and is in the same place as piratebay i believe, if you know anything about piratebay & "the man" trying to shut them down or get info , or through his hosting company, not sure where that is or what they could even obtain from that...

I agree with you on most of the points, that's why I said I am not too worried about it.
By the way Bay moved site to Finland I do not know if they still operate from there.

This is why the site has an AUP, and will shut down conversations that are clearly a violation of what is and is not acceptable behavior by its posters.

And this makes lots of sense.

[Noahtuck]

Yeah, i thought they were in sweden, i rarely ever go there and it's just to read what's going on. I remember when they were shut down for a couple of day's and were right back up taunting
I'll have to drop in and see if there is anything new to read from the last 5 months or so & see if they talk about moving their server or WE somewhere else.
I know they alway's bragged about being in sweden and the law's were diff. there and the RIAA/MPAA lawer's needed to figure this out and to stop sending them legal threat's. 8)

I'm not into that place at all but it is fun to watch someone tell them where to stick it & get away with it

[tinker]

Yes they were in Sweden, but law got onto them so they moved the site.
Like you said, they were down for couple days only. It was interesting to watch.

[videobread]

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, passed in 1998, is complex and applies to the US only. The European Union Copyright Directive was passed shortly thereafter. The Fair Use Doctrine which had been effect in the US since the famous Betamax case was thrown out the window in the US by the DCMA. It is still in effect in the European Union. It is now illegal to back up digital media that you have purchased in the US. It is still legal in the European Union, Fair Use Doctrine is still in effect.
The movie industry does not want you to copy DVD's. They really don't want you to copy DVD's. They want you to buy their movies. That's what HD DVD and Blu-ray is all about. The industry was led to believe that some egg headed geeks were going to develop DVD encription systems that could not be cracked. We all know that is just not the case. The HD DVD and Blu-ray security systems have been cracked and a lot of industry people are pissed. I assume that will be the death blow to the HD and Blu-ray formats that we the people never needed or wanted. May HD and Blu-ray rest in peace.
Back to subpoenas, the movie industry is really pissed at rippers. They just don't talk about it. The press talks about people with camcorders in movie theaters! That's all smoke so that more people don't become aware of ripping. You see very little, if any, mention of ripping in industry magazines.
Again, the industry is pissed and may be looking to make an example of some group to scare the masses. They can't stop the copying/ripping and they will never be able to. We in the US are most at risk of suits.
It's always best to keep a low profile. A good rule is to read and rip while limiting posts unless they are trueley adding to the knowledge base.

[lordsmurf]

Videobread, you're out in left field, and your information is not only factually incorrect, but littered with opinion/interpretation. I can see your point, but this issue is more complex than you're making it out to be.

[dnix71]

If people who post for help backing up a disc would just refrain from naming names then it would make it very hard to touch anyone.

I pm'ed a newb who posted about copying D*sn*y tapes and needed to remove M*cr*v*s**n.

She didn't need to use either of those words. The post could have just said:

"I would like to make some backup copies of movie tapes to my standalone dvd recorder. Are there any products that will allow this, since there seems to be some form of copy protection in the way."

There are people who work for the drm police who Google through forums looking for key words. No key words = no attention drawn from the wrong place.

When I was in college, we had parties with alcohol, but were not allowed to mention it in the ads. We didn't have a license to sell liquor (even the one-day license) so we we could not legally charge for it. You could get it, though, if you were willing to pay and knew how and who to ask. If you stayed discreet, you could do what you wanted. The same thing would work here if we encourage people to not give unnecessary details.

[12Quidkidinnit]

Another thing to bear in mind on the subject of posts made on an internet forum is that it is one thing for a person to claim that they have ripped a DVD, but a completely different thing altogether for anyone to prove to the satisfaction of a court that they actually did it.

[gll99]

Another thing to bear in mind on the subject of posts made on an internet forum is that it is one thing for a person to claim that they have ripped a DVD, but a completely different thing altogether for anyone to prove to the satisfaction of a court that they actually did it.

To be perfectly frank, everything I say here is a lie. I lie all the time about everything. That's the complete and honest truth you can take my word for it.

Now what did I just say?

I stand by my words.

[zworg2]

Another thing to bear in mind on the subject of posts made on an internet forum is that it is one thing for a person to claim that they have ripped a DVD, but a completely different thing altogether for anyone to prove to the satisfaction of a court that they actually did it.

To be perfectly frank, everything I say here is a lie. I lie all the time about everything. That's the complete and honest truth you can take my word for it.

Now what did I just say?

I stand by my words.

You said, and I quote;

Beware of me I am a nut case

I ccould say all sorts of things, it doesnt mean they are true, and just because they are typed and therefore hard evidence still doesnt mean anything.

For example if I say I am naked at home whilst typing this, it may or may not be true. Just because I have said it gives you no indication of its authenticity.

If I say that UK has a greater landmass than USA, it is obviously not true, but it is not miraculously and suddenly true merely because I have typed it!

To be honest I am, not and never have been particularly worried by this thing. I am not selling anything I copy, I am not making profit etc etc. The money I am not making is not going to fund organised crime etc. etc etc

Yes talking about copying rentaed games or movies is simply dumb, but as mentioned above fi the authoritys were to go after everyone who ever infringed copyright law they would probably be dealing with 90% of the 1st world population.

[videobread]

WOW!!!!!!!!! How to copy Casino Royale is up to 12985 views with 92 posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Noahtuck]

WOW!!!!!!!!! How to copy Casino Royale is up to 12985 views with 92 posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which is amusing in itself as it was no harder to backup than any other dvd over the last 6 months.... even with older software versions

You're seem pretty obsessed about that thread i'm pretty sure there has been a thread or two larger than that one about certain dvd's 8)

[lordsmurf]

What's even more amusing is Casino Royale isn't a very good movie. It plods along without much of a plot, lacked any kind of substantial "Bond girl" and used a replacement actor for the main role. I'm not a Bond fan to begin with, and while the main actor strikes me as quite good, maybe even good for this role, the script was just awful by any measure.

It's not worth buying, it's not worth copying. In fact, skip the rental too, wait for it to come to network tv or cable.

[Noahtuck]

WOW!!!!!!!!! How to copy Casino Royale is up to 12985 views with 92 posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hell!!!
I'm amazed they have not came after us all yet for this one....

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=257555&highlight=incredibles

195 post's & 28,474 views

[j1d10t]

And let's not forget this one:
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=102812&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&hig...s%20conversion

1717 replies, and 123889 views.

Granted, it's not about ripping the movies from DVD, but it's copying them from laserdisc/VHS....

[gll99]

We are talking about a book here are we not Is this not the book of the month club

Seriously: (maybe)

I fully agree with lordsmurf. The best scene is at the beginning watching that guy (not Bond) running and jumping like a jackrabbit, after that it's mostly downhill. The character (not the actor) is so pathetic that he only survives through dumb luck not because of his skills or gadgets (none). If that's what a 00 is supposed to be like then forget it and close down the agency. Go back to the "camp" stuff at least it was entertaining. To think that some people said it was the best Bond yet