Circuit City Ripping DVDs for Users

Grooves writes "Circuit City is offering a DVD transfer service that's sure to enrage the MPAA. For $10 for 1 DVD or $30 for 5, Circuit City will violate the DMCA and rip commercial DVDs for users to put on their mobile players. From the article: 'This should be a viable market. Software and services are losing out to draconian digital rights management philosophies and anti-consumer technologies aimed at increasing revenues stemming from double-dipping--what I call the industry's penchant for charging twice for the same thing.' They note that fair use backups of DVDs have not been tested in court because all of the attention is focused on the circumvention software itself." Update: 08/04 22:40 GMT by Z : Acererak writes "Red Herring reports that Circuit City isn't offering any DVD-to-DVD copying scheme. The Slashdotted sign was an isolated screwup."

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

WOW-Blowing the man.

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed. All the other posts thinking it's some kind of blow against the man, are just engaging in wishful thinking. They had their chance to strike a blow against the man by not buying or downloading, but gave that up, and now wish someone else (in this case, circuit city) would do what they had not the courage to do.

Re:violate the DMCA? In what way?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ahh well, that's fine then.

CSS encryption isn't remotely effective at controlling access to films.

Big Deal

[scottennis]

Street vendors in China have been doing this same thing for years at a much lower price.

This is the plan

[JanneM]

* Start DVD copy service

* Cash in on DVD copy service for all it's worth while waiting for the inevitable lawsuit

* Use lawyers already on retainer to string out the suit against DVD copy service as long as possible.

* Pay 10% of DVD copy earnings in settlement, promise never to do a DVD copy service ever again.

* Start unrelated DVD duplication service using equipment already conveniently at hand.()

() Remember to trademark "DVD Duplication service", "DVD Backup service", "Disc copy service", "Disc Duplication service", "Disk Kopy DudeZ", "Dupe It Man!" ...

 

Re:Odd, this from the outfit behind DIVX...

[imadork]

It's cosmic Karma, this is Circuit City's pennance for coming up with the crappy DIVX idea to begin with.

Way to go, Circuit City!

[n6kuy]

Now, will you also rip my DIVX disks?

Re:They could make a fortune doing this...

[Andrewkov]

You only bought the license to watch Stargate on DVD, so they will happily replace the defective media for you.

We can help the cause without using our $.

[flipsoft]

After reading this, I too thought that Circuit City was doomed. Until I realized what they are up to!

By them promoting the transfer option they have not actually done anything illegal yet. But they have done a couple things. They have made their image better in the eyes of the public and they are going to provide a service that their competitors can not match. (Best Buy, Frys, Wal-mart, Target, etc.)

So how do we (the consumer) get the rest of their competition to join in? Simple, we go to each Circuit City competitor (Best Buy, Frys, Wal-mart, Target, etc.) and we ask about their "new ripping service". I am sure that the first 1000 people that do this across the country will cause some confusion since none of their competitors have this service. But the more people that do this, it will cause their management to question, "Why can Circuit City provide this but we can not?" Even before Circuit City actually starts ripping.

I plan on going down to the local BB and talking to the person in the iPod Video department.
The conversation with the clerk should go like this...
-----------
Clerk: Welcome to Best Buy, Can I help you find something today?
Me: Sure, I was looking at getting an iPod video that you have over here.
Clerk: Were you looking at the 20GB or the 40GB? (Blah blah blah)
Me: Well I was interested in the 40GB and I wanted to bring in my DVD movies for you to put on there. I have them in the car.
Clerk: Sir, we are unable to put your DVD movies on the iPod at this time. blah blah blah
Me: Oh, I was just over at Circuit City and they were willing to do it for $10 a movie. What would you charge?
Clerk: Sir, we don't offer that service
Me: Ok. Thanks for your help.
-------------

That's it! That is all we have to do. Remember two main things!
1. DO NOT insult them or their company.
2. Be polite and DO NOT act knowledgable.

By doing these two things they will put you into their "Clueless consumer" category. Which is exactly the market they would sell this service to. THE MORE CLUELESS THE BETTER! Good luck and I hope we have sucess.

-flipsoft

Re:Now wait just a minute

[slapout]

Fact checking on Slashdot? You must be new here.

Re:Best Buy not the best anymore

[oudzeeman]

one time at work we wanted a cheap mouse for a computer that we would normally ssh into, so no need for anything fancy. we ran over to best buy and bought a memorex mouse for $3, and the cashier tried to sell us a warantee on it

The Circuit City Anti Massacre Movement

[karlandtanya]

And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into the Best Buy wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get anything you want, at Circuit City.
"And walk out.
You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him.
And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization.
And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out.
And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

And that's what it is , the Circuit City Anti-Massacre Movement, and all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the guitar.

Re:Benefit Analysis Is Flawed...

[slippyblade]

*If it's legal for me to do something, why would it be illegal for me to pay someone to do something for me?*

I have to chime in on this one, sorry. It's legal to masturbate (well, in most states), but it's illegal to pay someone else to masturbate you. I know, not the same thing at all, but I thought it was funny.