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Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?  

post #1 of 9
5/22/09 at 7:03am
Thread Starter 
First off I don't want the discussion to go into the direction of shows being illegally sold (bootlegging).

I just want a simple clarification as to whether it is ok to maintain a personal copy of a show saved on a DVR from a broadcast. Copying of shows has been around at least since VCRs but I was never quite sure of the legality of it just for personal use.

I recently got into the world of having a DVR and recorded some of the old shows not available on DVD. While what I saw off of TV Land was not very good video quality wise (Bonanza), the Cheyenne broadcast from the Encore western channel didn't look that bad. So if I manage to copy these off my DVR and onto DVD-R's for future watching is that legal or have I violated the owners copyright? Or is the answer not that straight forward (i.e., a gray area)?
post #2 of 9
5/22/09 at 7:07am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

The only ruling I know of was the so-called "Betamax decision" of 1984 where the U.S. Supreme Court stated that recording TV Programs for PERSONAL Use did not violate Copyright Laws. Therefore if there is a program you want to watch at a later time then you have every right in the world to record it.
post #3 of 9
5/22/09 at 7:27am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

Recording off of TV is "fair use"

distributing, selling etc is not.
post #4 of 9
5/22/09 at 7:36am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

Why is this question being asked? There's no need for this topic.

When I have recorded televised content to my PC, I just burn it to DVD for my personal use. While Big Content would prefer to convince you that there isn't any such thing as 'Fair Use' and that they don't want you copying the content for any reason whatsoever, why ask why?

Don't broadcast it, just do it.

The chances of them causing such a bug fuss are so slim its improbable. My dad recorded over 50 VHS tapes of the news coverage of the September 11th attacks. So far? Neither MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN have come knowing down our door.

I wouldn't worry about it as long as you don't mass produce and sell it.
post #5 of 9
5/22/09 at 8:30am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Regulus
The only ruling I know of was the so-called "Betamax decision" of 1984 where the U.S. Supreme Court stated that recording TV Programs for PERSONAL Use did not violate Copyright Laws. Therefore if there is a program you want to watch at a later time then you have every right in the world to record it.

We settled this 25 years ago. If you want proof, you can look for this article:


Harris, Paul. "Supreme Court O.K.'s Home Taping: Approve 'Time Shifting' for Personal Use." Variety (Los Angeles), 18 June 1984.
post #6 of 9
5/22/09 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Talmadge
Why is this question being asked? There's no need for this topic.

Well obviously I disagreed if I felt the need to ask.

While I agree the chances of someone making a fuss was improbable, I still wanted to know what the overall legal restrictions are.

Thanks, for the read Regulus and Neil that cleared things up for me.
post #7 of 9
5/22/09 at 8:53am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

There are no legal restrictions. You just can't copy them with the intent to make them into bootlegs and try to sell them. I've been recording shows off-air since I began taping "Dynasty" in 1983; I've still not seen any jail time because of it lol
post #8 of 9
5/22/09 at 11:36am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

My cable DVR even has the option - "Record to VCR".
post #9 of 9
5/22/09 at 11:44am

Re: Legality of saving shows from cable to disk?

Closed at the request of the OP.
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