Changing purchased DRM files

[Krebstar]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
New Hampshire

I work at a school in New Hampshire that is quite large. The school owns an enormous amount of media in various formats (DVDs, VHS, laserdisc, etc...) which has a large limitation that only one person can use it at a time. Recently, I came up with the idea of creating an online video database at the school. Basically, it would keep all the media the school has on a computer server on the campus that would be accessible by all of the teachers at the school to show in their rooms. It does not appear to be legal to take our old pieces of media and move them onto the computer for school use so I have been working at coming up with a different way to work around the problem. Files from the iTunes store are, by design, meant to be used on a computer. The problem is that the DRM (digital rights management) software on the files only allows them to be played on 5 or fewer computers and also only be played by certain pieces of software (iTunes or Quicktime). The school has 400+ computers of which about half we would want to be able to play the files. Thus, the problem.

Is it legal to take video files purchased by the school and break the DRM to change them so that they could be played on any of the teacher's computers at the school? It's my feeling that if the school has ownership of the file they should be able to change it to play within anything owned by the school. Any help would be great! Thanks!

[tranquility]

Circumventing DRM is a crime.

Stupid? Yes. Fair? No.

Bow down to your information overlords. Joe Biden is one of their top champions. Is it possible he will rise to a position of greater power? Until the users of informaiton join together as a group and start funneling money to Congress (for education of the issues, of course) things will get worse.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by Krebstar

Is it legal to take video files purchased by the school and break the DRM to change them so that they could be played on any of the teacher's computers at the school?

Simple answer... and you already know it... NO, it would not be legal and your actions could subject the school to HUGE fines. And if you do it without their express permission, you are putting your CAREER on the line.

[TheGeekess]

Originally Posted by Krebstar

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
New Hampshire

I work at a school in New Hampshire that is quite large. The school owns an enormous amount of media in various formats (DVDs, VHS, laserdisc, etc...) which has a large limitation that only one person can use it at a time. Recently, I came up with the idea of creating an online video database at the school. Basically, it would keep all the media the school has on a computer server on the campus that would be accessible by all of the teachers at the school to show in their rooms. It does not appear to be legal to take our old pieces of media and move them onto the computer for school use so I have been working at coming up with a different way to work around the problem. Files from the iTunes store are, by design, meant to be used on a computer. The problem is that the DRM (digital rights management) software on the files only allows them to be played on 5 or fewer computers and also only be played by certain pieces of software (iTunes or Quicktime). The school has 400+ computers of which about half we would want to be able to play the files. Thus, the problem.

Is it legal to take video files purchased by the school and break the DRM to change them so that they could be played on any of the teacher's computers at the school? It's my feeling that if the school has ownership of the file they should be able to change it to play within anything owned by the school. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Why do you think the bolded is not legal? If you hold the original media, you should be able to digitize them for storage on a PC/server/network. I'd like the RIAA and/or the FBI to tell me I can't rip MP3s from CDs that I purchased and own or that I can't make a copy of Finding Nemo so The Child can watch/abuse that one without destroying the original.

[tranquility]

If you hold the original media, you should be able to digitize them for storage on a PC/server/network.

No. Current theory is to have the rights holders license only certain uses and not all use. There are different rules for different media. It is illegal in general although there are some uses and media types where it would not be.

There is also a huge practical difference between what one does in the privacy in one's home and what a public entity does. In the former, it is unlikely one would be caught. In the later, almost a certainty. The underlying crime is the same, but the rights holders know they can get a big settlement from a large infringement by a public agency and will assuredly go after them.

[TheGeekess]

Originally Posted by tranquility

No. Current theory is to have the rights holders license only certain uses and not all use. There are different rules for different media. It is illegal in general although there are some uses and media types where it would not be.

There is also a huge practical difference between what one does in the privacy in one's home and what a public entity does. In the former, it is unlikely one would be caught. In the later, almost a certainty. The underlying crime is the same, but the rights holders know they can get a big settlement from a large infringement by a public agency and will assuredly go after them.

Yes, I understand about the differences. But it seems what the OP wants to do would fall within legal use (not killing the DRM, but digitizing the already purchased media). I'm going to do some research on this when I get home for my own edification. I'll post what I find here if anyone else is interested.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by TheGeekess

Why do you think the bolded is not legal? If you hold the original media, you should be able to digitize them for storage on a PC/server/network. I'd like the RIAA and/or the FBI to tell me I can't rip MP3s from CDs that I purchased and own or that I can't make a copy of Finding Nemo so The Child can watch/abuse that one without destroying the original.

First, you need to learn the LAW... and not give 'knee-jerk' posts.

"Fair Use" only allows you to make a single copy of a copyrighted product.... but you can only use ONE copy at a time. Putting that software on a network and allowing MULTIPLE access at the same time is ILLEGAL.

For more on 'fair use', read the US Code at:
[url=http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/usc_sup_01_17_10_1.html]US CODE: Title 17,CHAPTER 1—SUBJECT MATTER AND SCOPE OF COPYRIGHT[/url]

[tranquility]

Do all the research you want, but the first rule of law is that without the facts, there is no issue. Research without applying the facts is called writing an article. Let's look at the facts given in the very short post:

The problem is that the DRM (digital rights management) software on the files only allows them to be played on 5 or fewer computers and also only be played by certain pieces of software (iTunes or Quicktime).

The rights holder only allow them to be played on 5 or fewer computers. But yet,

The school has 400+ computers of which about half we would want to be able to play the files.

How do we reconcile this?

Now to the question:

Is it legal to take video files purchased by the school and break the DRM to change them so that they could be played on any of the teacher's computers at the school?

And, the answer is NO. As a matter of law, one cannot do this. See under 17 U.S.C.:

§ 1201. Circumvention of copyright protection systems
(a) Violations Regarding Circumvention of Technological Measures. — (1)(A) No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.

The current exceptions are:

1. Audiovisual works included in the educational library of a college or university’s film or media studies department, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of making compilations of portions of those works for educational use in the classroom by media studies or film professors.

2. Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace.

3. Computer programs protected by dongles that prevent access due to malfunction or damage and which are obsolete. A dongle shall be considered obsolete if it is no longer manufactured or if a replacement or repair is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace.

4. Literary works distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the work (including digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain access controls that prevent the enabling either of the book’s read-aloud function or of screen readers that render the text into a specialized format.

5. Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network.

6. Sound recordings, and audiovisual works associated with those sound recordings, distributed in compact disc format and protected by technological protection measures that control access to lawfully purchased works and create or exploit security flaws or vulnerabilities that compromise the security of personal computers, when circumvention is accomplished solely for the purpose of good faith testing, investigating, or correcting such security flaws or vulnerabilities.