Opinions please!!!

[Saber]

Just curious here, but I take backup copies of most of my purchased CD's for obvious reasons. However, I do come across discs which will cot copy due to the protection on them (like games, and some software).

Considering, by law, you are entitled to make backup copies of your own purchased discs, what are your opinions on this ???

Saber

[Wayward Clam]

I think that the agreements only prevent you from copying it more than once, it doesn't guarantee you the right to copy it the once in the first place. While the company gives you permission to back it up once they don't necessarily have to make it easy for you to do so.

I don't think this is a law, by the by. I think it is merely common practice and that companies have recognized it in their EULAs. Any legal experts know better than me? I'm only a layman after all...

[triplenine]

As I understand (big disclaimer there) Copyright law allows for one backup copy of commercial media. If you do not have the original you cannot have the backup either.

The law does not disallow companies from adding copy protection schemes though. At this point with all of the media pirates out there, companies need to do something. It seems that the laws are nearly impossible to enforce on a individual level, so the makers have to do something.

[Saber99]

I am inclined to agree with you Triplenine. My main problem is with Black and White !!! I bought the game about a month ago, but havent had time to play it much, and one of my kids got a hold of the disc - Frisbeeee!!!!!!!

The shop wont exchange, and EA dont want to know, even if I send them the disc, box, and receipt as proof of purchase.

If I could have made a copy, this wouldn't have been a problem.

I now have more security surrounding my pc's than I do for the rest of the house <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[ilovetheusers]

The law is pretty much like what everyone is stating. You are legaly allowed to make a single copy (to a HDD or CD or whatever - only one copy anywhere) but the company has no reason or legal obligation to make the disc easy to copy. Most of the moden day copy protection is due to the way the disk was burned with data in between tracks (Interlevening? Is that what it's called?). The setup program calls upon information within the tracks to instal the App or Game. The newest CD burners may simulate this technology and let you to make that SINGLE copy of the CD. I needent go into how it is not legal to make more than one copy for PERSONAL use.

[jbar1]

I too copy all my original CDs. I have 2 CDRWs in my monster. one is a plextor 12x10x32 ultra SCSI and the other is a Yamaha Lightspeed 16x10x40 also SCSI. I havnt found anything yet that the Plextor would not copy how ever the Yamaha gets stopped now and then. My wife is a Sims addict(about 6 to 8 hrs a night) and has wasted 2 CDs. She has a NEC 4 play CD and I guess in the mechanical action of the player they get scratched and messed up. And when we get busy we seem to have CDs all over the bench. Fortunatly we work with copies and not the masters. I even make copies of all the VHS movies we buy and use the copies for viewing. I believe in backing everything up. And Nero does a better job with protection than adaptec. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">