Dvd Ripping Not As Frequent As Previously Considered

By Author: Isaiah Henry
Total Articles: 220
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High-level �players� in the movie industry have long been concerned with the impact that the practice of DVD ripping would have on their profits. A recent study reveals there is not much cause for concern. Per Russ Crupnick, Senior Analyst for the NPD Group, �Only about 2% of computer owners with internet connection own any type of DVD ripping software or equipment�. There is very little reason to believe that even this small percentage is engaged in ripping DVDs in large quantities to sell. It is only when ripped DVDs are processed with the intent of resale that the act is illegal.

The music industry, which has been deeply impacted by peer-to-peer file sharing, is one of the reasons movie execs have been so worried. Napster, the original music sharing site, now has plenty of company, including Limewire and Kaza to name just a couple. This peer-to-peer sharing is thought to have cost the music industry billions of dollars in lost revenue.

The vast majority of people don�t understand the measures that the Management of Digital Rights has actually put in place. The misperception ...
... is that DRM is acting to protect copyright laws. That is not the case; their regulations are in place to protect movie content owners by controlling how the data is accessed and distributed. There are also limitations in place for these owners with respect to a single or precise digital work or machine. The only time the practice of DVD ripping is against the law is when performed with the intent of resale. It is the resale of the DVDs that costs the movie industry money; and that is what DRM is focused on. They want to keep DVD ripping to a minimum so the movie industry won�t suffer the same fate the music industry has.

Currently, DVD ripping with the intent of reselling multiple copies is practiced minimally � by about 2% of the computer owners with internet connection (as reported earlier). Even though there is a good deal of DVD ripping software available for purchase, most people simply are not buying. Movie companies would be well advised to be more concerned with the prospect of peer-to-peer sharing sites popping up on the web. By putting their focus on and energy in stopping P2P from invading their �space�, they might well avoid greater consequences. If and when P2P sharing expands to include motion pictures, the movie industry will be in the same boat as their counterparts in music.

It is understandable that the motion picture industry does not want to end up in the same boat with the music industry. Every business, needless to say, is interested in realizing the most profits then can. The prospect of peer-to-peer sharing sites being developed for sharing movies should be a greater concern to the execs in the movie business than the on the small number of people who rip DVDs.