Is Backing up your store bought Movies to PSP Fair Use?

[sholmes202]

I know that this sort of thing must be discussed pretty often but I just got a PSP and I am considering backing up copies of movies that I already own to play on it. In your opinion, is this Fair Use or not? Your input really will be appreciated!

Holmes

[lumis]

if you own the dvd, as long as you're not getting any type of financial by making backups/copies of it then i think its just fine.

[jdizzy40]

Why on earth would you want to go to that much trouble? And I hope you have a very large Memeory Stick DUo. 512 is bare min at lowest settings.

[sholmes202]

Well it doesn't seem like too much trouble. Just set the batch and let it run over night, copy it to the memory card...I have PLENTY :P...and then I can watch a movie on the two hour commute to work in the morning.

Holmes

[rkr1958]

Well it doesn't seem like too much trouble. Just set the batch and let it run over night, copy it to the memory card...I have PLENTY :P...and then I can watch a movie on the two hour commute to work in the morning.

Holmes

You have a two hour commute ... each way? ... 4-hours total a day?! That's a big chunk of time, I guess you do need some movies to watch. I'm glad I'm only 10-minutes from work.

[Abond]

... I'm glad I'm only 10-minutes from work.

Glad? Yes, but no movies

[nic2k4]

I'm sure in the eyes of Sony and the MPAA, it's not fair use. The correct answer may depend on where you live i.e. in Canada a levy is paid on every recordable media (including flash memory) to compensate copyright owners, so this is definetly fair use. In the US, it might be covered as fair use under the Betamax judgement. I'm not sure if it allows for the transfer of content from one device format to another, but I would think so, as it's legal to make MP3's from your music CD's.

[ROF]

It is fair use as long as you own the original media and will not be "lending" your memory sticks to others. If it's for your own private use or for viewing with others while you are present and you are not charging others to gather around your Sony PSP to watch the movie, it's fair use in the United States to allow your media to be compatible with whatever output device you choose.

What will violate this fair use is:

- Allowing others to view the movie without you (the owner) being present.
- Charging others for the presentation of the movie.

I've been coverting DVDs to Divx for quite sometime for viewing on my creative labs media player. I now own a Sony PSP and have watched a few movies on this device. It's my device, it's my movie, so I'll watch it where I please and on whatever type of screen I want. That's fair use. If it's yours and only for your use, you are not violating fair use laws. At least in the United States.

[sholmes202]

Thanks for the feedback! I agree that ripping a DVD that I paid for so that I can play it on the PSP is defensible Fair Use. I don't want to rip off artists of their intellectual property but I also don't think it is fair and proper to have to pay for the same thing twice.

By the way, the video quality on the PSP is OUTSTANDING!

Holmes