PC Help Desk

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Last Updated -06:06:2006

To copy or not to copy, that is the question:

QUESTION: Can you please tell me how to copy my DVD collection? I have tried to use Easy Media Creator 7.5 to no avail. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER: Many people think that if you've legally purchased a music CD or a movie DVD, you should be allowed to make a backup copy in case you lose the original or it gets scratched or damaged in some way. This used to be the case but not anymore it seems. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act - 1998 (DMCA) makes it illegal in the U.S.A. to bypass methods used to protect copyright. In Europe the EU Copyright Directive is more ambiguous and has led to it being implemented differently across the member states. In February 2004 a San Francisco federal judge ruled that 321 Studios' DVD 'ripping' software was illegal because it bypassed anti-piracy technology - not because its illegal to make copies. Roxio Easy Media Creator 7.5 will not copy DVD's that are copy-protected. Still, there are free programs like DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter out there that will circumvent the copy-protection code used on commercial DVD's and allow you to make copies of your store bought DVD's. However I do not encourage or condone the copying of commercial discs when doing so places you in violation of current intellectual property law.

Please check the copyright laws of the country you reside in before downloading, purchasing or using DVD copying software. Full text of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Full text of the EU Copyright Directive

Should my Music CDs play in all my audio devices?

QUESTION: I recently bought a new MP3 Player to replace my ageing Walkman Cassette Player. I've been using Windows Media Player 10 to rip my CD collection into MP3 to store on the hard drive of my PC and the MP3 player with no problems. Until that is, I tried to rip "----------------". My computer doesn't appear to recognise the disc in the drive. I bought the CD on a trip so I can't return it. Can you please help me? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER: From the information you've provided, it's hard to tell if your disc is copy-protected, damaged or corrupted. In U.S copyright law the 'fair use privilage' allows an individual to make a copy of their lawfully obtained copyrighted work for their own personal use. However you could be in violation of copyright law if in the process of copying the CD you use software that circumvents copy-protection on the disc. First of all, try holding down the Shift key when you insert the CD to prevent Windows AutoRun feature from loading any software on the disc. If that doesn't work, you can use a 'data recovery tool' like IsoBuster (download trial version) or Audiograbber which is now Freeware. IsoBuster will open up the CD like Windows Explorer so you can find all the data, including the audio files. Audiograbber will locate all the audio files on the disc and transfer them digitally to your HD in their original format. It can also convert the files to MP3 or WMA. 06:06:2006 House of Commons Select Committee for Culture, Media & Sport inquiry into New Media and the Creative Industries. BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson was quizzed on the fact that the “all rights reserved” nature of British copyright law means that – without specific authorisation – any UK consumer who rips CDs they have bought in order to fill an iPod or other MP3 player is currently guilty of copyright infringement. “Traditionally the recording industry has turned a blind eye to private copying and has used the strength of the law to pursue commercial pirates,” he said. “We believe that we now need to make a clear and public distinction between copying for your own use and copying for dissemination to third parties and make it unequivocally clear to the consumer that if they copy their CDs for their own private use in order to move the music from format to format we will not pursue them.”

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