[PW] copyright issues--PAL to NTSC

[Mary Towner]

Hi everyone!  This one's for me, so no roaring hurry.

I purchased a 2 DVD set from Amazon.co.uk as a Christmas present for my 
husband, Bob. The set is only available in PAL, region 2 format, which 
means our regular DVD player/TV combo can't play those discs. However, I 
knew the software on Bob's itty bitty laptop could handle the translation of 
PAL to NTSC, so I bought the set anyway. And the DVDs played just fine on the 
laptop when I tested them.

The DVDs contain hours of footage featuring Bob's hobby. I know 
he'd prefer to watch on a larger screen or perhaps invite friends over to 
enjoy the show with him.

I considered obtaining software that would allow me to convert and 
burn the set as NTSC region 1 discs, or perhaps go to one of the local 
stores that offers PAL to NTSC conversion services. Then we could play the 
DVDs on our regular DVD player. But I have no idea if this is a violation 
of copyright, so I held off.

I'm assuming that the software in Bob's laptop that converts the digital 
code on the fly for viewing isn't a problem, since that's temporary.  But 
I'm guessing that converting and burning a permanent disk in a different 
format might violate subsidiary rights. I don't know if "translating" a disc 
could be considered fair use.

I'm away from work this week but did some preliminary 'net searches. 
Legal reference isn't my specialty. Has anyone else run into this issue before?
Is it a copyright violation to convert PAL to NTSC?

aTdHvAaNnKcSe,
Mary


-- 
Mary Wilkes Towner             mailto:mtowner at prairienet.org  
Adult Services Librarian              phone (217)367-4405     
The Urbana Free Library               fax   (217)367-4061     
210 W. Green St., Urbana IL 61801