rented DVD is a copy, is it legal?

[jakol]

i tried this online movie rental (foreign movies) like netflix 20 bucks a month for unlimited movies,three movies at a time, anyway.. some of the DVDs they were sending me is a copy, yes a duplicate copy of the movie in DVD-R format, is this legal? which i dont think so. The company is based in Las Vegas, CA.(im not naming the Co.) . I have spoken to them before not to send a duplicate copy coz of player compatibility issue but guess wat yesterday a got another burned DVD movie in my mailbox..Is there something i can do, maybe a lawsuit , i know i can just cancell my membership, but im not comfortable knowing they are doing this to me and to other people...its not fair.

[thayne]

Doesn't sound legal to me, but what do I know...

[Tommyknocker]

i tried this online movie rental (foreign movies) like netflix 20 bucks a month for unlimited movies,three movies at a time, anyway.. some of the DVDs they were sending me is a copy, yes a duplicate copy of the movie in DVD-R format, is this legal? which i dont think so. The company is based in Las Vegas, CA.(im not naming the Co.) . I have spoken to them before not to send a duplicate copy coz of player compatibility issue but guess wat yesterday a got another burned DVD movie in my mailbox..Is there something i can do, maybe a lawsuit , i know i can just cancell my membership, but im not comfortable knowing they are doing this to me and to other people...its not fair.

I think MPAA would be very interested in hearing about this. They expect us to buy multiple copies instead of making an archival copy of the one original we buy. I think it would be the same for a commercial enterprise.

[freestyler]

The company is based in Las Vegas, CA.(im not naming the Co.)

Las Vegas, CA? There's no Las Vegas in California last time I checked...

[Faustus]

The company is based in Las Vegas, CA.(im not naming the Co.)

Las Vegas, CA? There's no Las Vegas in California last time I checked...

OH...................MY......................GAWD!

YOUR CITY IS A COPY ALSO!

(QUEUE TWILIGHTZONE MUSIC)

[Grimey]

OH...................MY......................GAWD!

YOUR CITY IS A COPY ALSO!

(QUEUE TWILIGHTZONE MUSIC)

And a sloppy copy at that, half of it's wrong.

[Rookie64]

GreenCine and CleanFilms rent DVD-Rs of certain movies - not sure on the legalities, but both claim it is legal for the films they are renting.

Netflix used to carry some DVD-Rs from SomethingWeird Video.

A lot of online video outlets sell movies on DVD-R as well, but are either older titles from non-major studios and/or films not protected by copyright.


The key thing is to READ the descriptions BEFORE you choose to rent or buy - they usually state if the movie is a DVD-R


I doubt very much that you can sue them for anything - unless you happen to own the copyrights to anything being rented or sold.


You can always cancel if you're not satisfied with the service.

What are the movies you rented?
I can find out if they are in the public domain if you want that info.

[gitreel]

Maybe it it the California hotel and casino in Las Vegas

[hech54]

Nobody ever thought of the mailman and his laptop?...

[Roundabout]

Well, if it's foreign movies we're talking about, it's doubtful the MPAA is going to be concerned. After all, it's the Motion Picture Assn. of AMERICA, not France (or wherever). Why should they care if their competition's product is bootlegged/copied? They're probably happy about it.

Reminds me, in L.A. all the Russian shops on Santa Monica Blvd. rent out copied Russian VHS and DVD movies. They have a copy of the original somewhere, presumably, but rent out bad copies of them - they probably lost too many that weren't returned. So they maximize their profit by renting out copies that basically cost them nothing, except the price of the blank.

They used to sell them too, even American bootlegs, of popular music (Queen, etc.) imported from Russia with bad graphics, spelling errors and all. They were cheap, $5.00 or so, but I think they got busted so they don't sell American boot product anymore, only bootleg Russian product. AFIAK, they've never had a problem doing this.

[Conquest10]

That post reminded me of the commentary off the Simpsons Season 4 DVD. They talk about the Soviets not enforcing copyrights on American products so we did the same with their IP. The Mr Plow commercial with the snowglobe had a Soviet opera that they did not get the rights to.

[jakol]

sorry for the type "o"..its las vegas , nevada

[jakol]

anyway thanks for the info...ive cancelled my membership today, they have many excuses, last time i got 1 movie in the mail instead of three , called them and they told me that the two movies were probably lost in the mail ..that pesky mailman with a laptop got it probably.

[DVD_Ripper]

GreenCine and CleanFilms rent DVD-Rs of certain movies - not sure on the legalities, but both claim it is legal for the films they are renting.

I'm really suprised anyone does this with the problems we all see with certain media

[Doramius]

I've heard of this myself. I heard there's not a strong jurisdiction on foreign films, but the companies still follow the same guidlines. I don't know how much of it is true, but I can't find a link about it anywhere, so the odds are it's not very.

Companies pay a flat annual fee for a title. They can make as many copies as they want as long as they track and record where they are sent and how many were created and sent. If copy is not returned, it is treated like a regular rental from blockbuster. Either return it or buy it so you can rent some more. All rentals have to be returned before you can cancel a membership or they won't let you rent until a few months of rental fees equal the value of purchasing the item. This way they can send back-ups if discs get scratched or they risk selling cheap burned copies of movies to people who don't return them.

[devinemi83]

When in doubt call 1-800-NO-COPIES. Just to be safe :P

[Guest]

Maybe it it the California hotel and casino in Las Vegas

heh,heh-Cal-Neva Club