Comments on: Sunday Speculation: Copyright Cynicism

By: Jenna

Jenna — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:20:19 +0000

I would be interested to see this thread develop. At our library, I have had patrons tell me outright that they are going home to burn the media items they are checking out. Most times, I’m at a loss as to what to say. I don’t feel it’s my place to enforce copyright, especially in my lowly position as library assistant, not a manager of any variety. These patrons appear to not even understand that what they are doing is illegal. As far as I know, we do not have a policy in place to address this. Does anyone else?

By: Michael Steeleworthy

Michael Steeleworthy — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 21:21:04 +0000

I would think that it’s the media that comes into play on this one. Music, which for so long was stored (is still stored?) on cassettes and then CDs, is easily copied.

DVD burning, I don’t think, has ever been as prevalent as ripping CDs onto tape. another CD, or into a digital format. And even today, ripping a movie from a DVD isn’t like pressing play on the CD player and then pressing record on the cassette player.

Should we suspect different things of people who borrow piles of CD as opposed to people who borrow piles of books? Technically, no. But it’s the technology (excuse the pun) – and the way our sensibilities have been accultured through the 80s and 90s – that makes us do.

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 21:10:33 +0000

Did anyone say something to them? Is there a policy regarding this?

By: Steve Lawson

Steve Lawson — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:14:20 +0000

I would think that about library CDs because I have done that with library CDs. I have never cracked the encryption on a DVD or photocopied an entire book.

By: mara

mara — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:56:58 +0000

We have people who sit in the library with their laptops and burn DVDs.