[ILUG] IOL Broadband handing over information.

[Paul Jakma]

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005, Timothy Murphy wrote:

> Is that true?

It's hard to say for sure, IANAL, etc..

The copyright act seems to be the law equivalent of spaghetti code - 
no clear overriding principle and a maze of exceptions and 
corner-cases. However, lawful users have a blanket right to make 
transient copies needed for 'viewing or listening':

 	http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA28Y2000S87.html

That would cover DVDs and audio CDs (eg copying from CD/DVD to 
buffers or memory in the player and onward).

I've no idea whether that covers ripping of CDs. You could make an 
argument that ripping CD to MP3, shelving the CD and then listening 
to the MP3s has become common enough, but is it technically required? 
Who knows. Maybe there is some wording that allows this, but i've 
given up trying to find it (and even if you find it - who knows what 
other wording elsewhere interacts with it).

If it doesn't cover ripping, then copyright act is /already/ out of 
date wrt usage. A consequence of it trying to legislate by detail 
rather than principle i think (at least, in terms of rights granted 
to users).

> I understand you are saying that one is entitled to make a copy of a CD/DVD
> for one's own use.
> If so, how does one do it?

You have to seperate audio CDs from DVDs. As we established in a 
previous discussion here, there is an amendment in effect which seems 
to legitimise DRM (which DVDs have a crude form of).

Software on CD is different again ('computer program' as the act 
calls them).

> I'm interested in making a copy of my grand-daughter's Sims-2 CD
> (only the first of the 4 CDs)

You can do that. You have the explicit right to make a backup copy of 
software:

 	http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA28Y2000S80.html

(DRM notwithstanding)

There doesnt seem to be any similar 'backup' right for other types of 
works in digital form though (eg audio CDs, movie DVDs) - that I can 
find at least. :(

> as she frequently covers it with chocolate, toothpaste, etc.
> I tried copying it with Nero, but this failed,
> I assume due to some protective device.

Ah, then you're screwed possibly - depending on what the protection 
is. You'd have been fine in 2000, but since then that DRM amendment 
has been passed and you are not allowed to circumvent digital access 
control - if it's DRM.

> Could I get round this if I were sufficiently clever?

Sure. If it's some kind of DRM, not legally though.

> I've also tried unsuccessfully to copy PlayStation CDs,
> as these seem particularly susceptible to scratches.
> [Crash-Bandicoot will not now get past Level 1.]

Have you tried using Linux and dd'ing the CD? If it's data mode CD 
you should always get a full image (if it succeeds) from the drive.

regards,
-- 
Paul Jakma	paul at clubi.ie	paul at jakma.org	Key ID: 64A2FF6A
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