Backing up your media for personal use...

So, I built a single server to host all of my media (CDs, Videos, Recorded TV, Pictures, and DVDs), and then I thought, with all the hoopla surrounding "ripping" DVDs these days, I'd better check.

I mean, it's not that I want to make copies for other people, but I have 3 kids that like to regularly put their grubby little paws all over the DVD surface. I refuse to buy another copy of Shrek (you should see the first one - gross!). All I want to do is take my DVDs (in particular, the kids DVDs), and rip them to the hard disk of the storage server so that they can be played on demand, and I can store my originals away safely.

So I talked to a legal representative here in Canada, and asked the question. I mean, hey, I work in the software business and we also have considerable media assets, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't biting the hand that feeds me, so to speak.

Anyways, the deal is, that under Canadian copywrite laws is a provision to allow the consumer to make a backup for personal use only. This includes CDs and DVDs, as well as VHS tapes. I don't know more about the details of bypassing the copy-protection, and my understanding is that it does not outweigh the consumer benefit of being able to back up content.

This is good.

And the way it should be. (in my opinion only?).