Air Crash Investigation (national geographic)

[johnny02004976]

What I don't understand then, is why do retailers offer those blank VHS tapes (well, used to) and DVD media for these purposes?

Well it dosen't actually tell you to use them for that purpose....

[AD-15]

But how else would you use them? DVD's, yeah, I agree with you there, but you can only really use VHS blank tapes for recording things from TV, right?

[johnny02004976]

i suppose you could always copy your home movies to VHS

its the same with P2P programs tho - you use them to download even though your not supposed to - but what else can you use them for?

[GDVS]

Anyway, recording from tv or radio is also illegal as far as i know, isn't it?

No, section 70 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) specifically permits time shifting.

The making for private and domestic use of a recording of a broadcast or cable programme solely for the purpose of enabling it to be viewed or listened to at a more convenient time does not infringe any copyright in the broadcast or cable programme or in any work included in it.

[Howard]

I know most people download LOST instead of watching it on Channel 4, and that's legal, so I'm pretty sure this is too.

No, I'm pretty sure it's not.

[ajbrun]

Let's assume that downloading lost from the net is legal just for now (which it isn't).

Why would anyone go out and buy the DVD then?

You have us all here saying that downloading lost is illegal, but I honestly can't see you not downloading any US shows again, as you have it in your head that it's OK to download it, rather than wait for the DVD. Therefore, I really don't see the point of this thread if you're not going to change your ways.

[Spud1]

geeze seriously guys, this is at least the 4th thread on downloading tv episodes this year! Each time it's the same questions, the same stupid arguemnets for it.

To put it simply first. Downloading Copywrited TV episodes, Movies, Applications, Games, Music via Bit torrent, IRC, Usenet, FTP, Limewire etc is ILLEGAL in the UK. 100%. No question about it. A TV program is a copywrited work, and you pay to watch each and every one in some way - even if you don't realise it.

Generally this is via your TV licence - and that licence, combined with advertising, pays for you to be able to watch terrestrial TV. The people who created the programs are being paid, so it's like a transaction in a shop - you pay and get your goods.

So what about sky, cable etc? Well there again you pay - a subscription this time - and then sky/ntl/telewest/whoever pays the content producer, same system.

All you are allowed to do is 'time shift' for a reasonable period of time after the program has been aired. So if you are not going to be around to watch a program which you have paid for, you are allowed to record it until you can watch it. This does NOT include archiving however, so technically all those old videos of programs from the 90's are illegal too..

You lend these recordings to other people - even if they are also licence/subscription payers. They would need to make their own time shifted recordings. The media used however doesn't matter - which makes TV rips etc legal to MAKE, but not to distribute or download. So while you could make your own TV rip - if you go to www.randomtorrentsite.com and download the latest LOST via torrent, you are breaking the law and depriving the content creators of some of their money.

In short - althoguh aircraft investigation is a good program ( I love it lol, its ace ), it is 100% illegal in the UK to download the episodes - even if you have a sky subscription which includes the chan..sorry

as for the use of VHS tapes etc - time shifting and home movies, same as for dvds etc

[G4Z]

Spud, I agree there is no question it is illegal, however I would say there is an argument to be made that in fact this kind of thing should not be illegal because it criminalises a large (possibly a majority now?) section of society. When we start to criminalise everybody then really we should be having a re-think of our laws and how our society is structured. Copyright has been corrupted from its original intention anyway and with content producers retaining rights for over 70 years after the death of the artist you have to wonder if there will ever be such a thing as "public domain" ever again?

Either that or the govt loves the idea of so many people breaking the law (theres a famous quote about that that I just cannot rememeber atm). For now its only copyright infringement and a civil matter however I do not think it will be very long before downloading is made criminal with an equivilence to theft.

[Spud1]

To a point I agree G4z, and so does the government - how many people have been arrested for archiving tv recordings?? None afaik, and thats illegal too.

That doesn't make it right though, irrespective of the laws - you are potentially taking money away from people who work hard for it. Granted less so if you have a sky subscription and a tv licence, but there are many that don't.

It's the same with many other things that are illegal but 'everyone' (read, a large proportion of people) does anyway - speeding is a prime example of late.

The way the government is heading though I seriously doubt they will relent on this anti piracy thing. The way MORE control over us (anti terror laws for example?) not less, so they will continue to pressurise etc. The anti terror laws themselves *should* be illegal, but they are not, the benefit of living in a UKUS country eh