August 4th, 2006
Circuit City Copies DVDs … Why Can’t I?
By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
Expect this to be stopped really, really quickly, now that it’s in the news. Apparently Circuit City will take commercial DVDs and rip them to portable media devices for its customers. $10 for 1, $20 for 2, $30 for 5.
The DMCA, of course, makes this illegal. Even if fair use clearly provides users the “right” to make backup and private transformative copies of works that they have purchased, the DMCA itself makes it illegal to circumvent encrypted access controls for any reason not allowed for by the Library of Congress. If Circuit City hasn’t received a cease and desist, they will soon. Source: Ars Technica
We Say: Obviously this is something anyone can do, with the right software, but now you don’t have to be a techie. Somehow I expect there to be some fallout on this. 
Update: Red Herring has an update indicating this is an isolated case and that the sign was in error and removed. Sure looks like an official sign, though. I wonder if it became isolated soon after this story hit. In any case, it looks like it’s a non-story now.
Seth Finkelstein says:
I called Circuit City. Their Director of Corporate Communications said:
“The sign is incorrect and not authorized and we are in the process of making sure the sign is removed”
Circuit City says it does not violate DMCA, does not copy commercial DVD’s
August 4th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Drakh says:
What you can and can’t do at Circuit City: Circuit City Burns Rumors
August 4th, 2006 at 2:44 pm
davis freeberg says:
Their Director of Corporate Communications didn’t give you good information. Circuit City has been running this program for over a month through a “partner”. While they are removing the sign they should take down the website advertising this program too. Smorty71 actually got a pilot email from their program a month ago and they still have their site up.
http://www.getdigitalinc.com/index.aspx
http://www.smorty71.com/2006/06/circuit-city-has-lame-partners.html
August 5th, 2006 at 11:13 am
Specific Impulse says:
I can copy DVDs
“Expect this to be stopped really, really quickly, now that it’s in the news. Apparently Circuit City will take commercial DVDs and rip them to portable media devices for its customers. $10 for 1, $20 for 2, $30 for 5.”…
August 7th, 2006 at 1:04 am