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Originally Posted by peterac
Would this be any different from a copyright standpoint than taping CNN on your VCR?
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No, in that technically both would be illegal for Dan's purposes.
The famous "Betamax" decision allows for
time-shifting of programs, but it doesn't sanction keeping archival copies permanently* or creating a video library. As a practical matter nobody is going to bother enforcing this for individual users, much less invest time and money in tracking them down, but it still is copyright infringement.
Regards,
Joe
* Even educational shows that are part of the "Cable in the Classroom" initiative, which are shown without commercials and with the specific intention of having teachers record them for later use, emphasize this fact. The copyright notice gives the user specific permission to archive the program for a
strictly limited period and includes the date on which all copies of the recording must be destroyed, I think usually a year or 18 months after the broadcast date. So even while creating an exception the industry is asserting that it must grant permission for users to retain copyrighted materials beyond a brief window for time-shifting and then setting a limit on the retention of the material covered by the exception.
