eBay DVDs: Legal?

J.Christie · Sat 02 Jul, 2005 10.54

I have seen eBay members creating DVDs of shows that haven't been released and selling them. Would anyone say this is illegal?

marksi · Sat 02 Jul, 2005 12.12

What do you think?

J.Christie · Sat 02 Jul, 2005 13.58

Well how can sellers get away with it?
Also, does it even matter if the company doesn't intend to release a DVD in the UK?

babyben · Sat 02 Jul, 2005 15.44

J.Christie wrote: Also, does it even matter if the company doesn't intend to release a DVD in the UK?

Err yea it does

Copyright is copyright is copyright. They created it, you shouldn't copy it. Simple.

J.Christie · Sat 02 Jul, 2005 20.14

Oh. Okay, thanks lads and/or ladies (if any were involved) I was just wondering why there are so many up on eBay.

Neil Jones · Sat 02 Jul, 2005 23.31

J.Christie wrote:Well how can sellers get away with it?
Also, does it even matter if the company doesn't intend to release a DVD in the UK?

As previously stated, your buying a DVD from Woolies is an actual licence for the stuff on the disc, not the stuff that's on said disc.

Therefore you may sell DVDs on eBay and other auction sites, providing that you don't keep any copies of it afterwards, in lieu of the fact that you shouldn't have been copying it in the first place.

In the real world, um, it's about as enforceable as stopping people taping stuff off the telly.

Brad · Sun 03 Jul, 2005 09.38

If I recall, I read somewhere that taping stuff of the TV is legal but only if you wipe the contents of the tape after 3 months. Yeah, like we all do that!

It may have only applied to schools programmes at one point?

J.Christie · Sun 03 Jul, 2005 10.33

Neil Jones wrote:
J.Christie wrote:Well how can sellers get away with it?
Also, does it even matter if the company doesn't intend to release a DVD in the UK?
As previously stated, your buying a DVD from Woolies is an actual licence for the stuff on the disc, not the stuff that's on said disc.

Therefore you may sell DVDs on eBay and other auction sites, providing that you don't keep any copies of it afterwards, in lieu of the fact that you shouldn't have been copying it in the first place.

In the real world, um, it's about as enforceable as stopping people taping stuff off the telly.

Actually mate, I haven't been copying anything. I was looking for Max and Paddy's Road To Nowhere stuff, and it was clogged with homemade DVDs.

James H · Sun 03 Jul, 2005 10.38

J.Christie wrote:
Neil Jones wrote:
J.Christie wrote:Well how can sellers get away with it?
Also, does it even matter if the company doesn't intend to release a DVD in the UK?
As previously stated, your buying a DVD from Woolies is an actual licence for the stuff on the disc, not the stuff that's on said disc.

Therefore you may sell DVDs on eBay and other auction sites, providing that you don't keep any copies of it afterwards, in lieu of the fact that you shouldn't have been copying it in the first place.

In the real world, um, it's about as enforceable as stopping people taping stuff off the telly.
Actually mate, I haven't been copying anything. I was looking for Max and Paddy's Road To Nowhere stuff, and it was clogged with homemade DVDs.

He wasn't accusing you of copying anything. He was using you as an example if you were to copy anything. It's the conditional, I believe?

You probably use it all the time. I've just used it.

Spencer For Hire · Mon 04 Jul, 2005 15.28

Brad wrote:If I recall, I read somewhere that taping stuff of the TV is legal but only if you wipe the contents of the tape after 3 months. Yeah, like we all do that!
It may have only applied to schools programmes at one point?

I remember hearing a few years ago that this law had been scrapped due to it being unenforcable, so those of us with tapes full of idents and news opening titles are no longer law-breakers.

Charlie Wells · Wed 06 Jul, 2005 21.46

I've seen quite a few people try to see DVD of an old show, currently repeated on Challenge called Knightmare. These DVDs are all illegal, especially as the sellers are making profit from the sales. To an extent the illegal sales damage the potential for any official release to be made. After all whoever planning to official release a show would want to atleast cover their costs, and if they think the market is swamped by illegal copies then they are going to be less willing to release the show on DVD.

The case is probably similar with many TV programmes etc.