Copied Videos for Sale

[Norayr Hajian]

My daughter has been enjoying season 1 of Adam-12 on DVD. As far as I know, that is the only season that is available. Yet, a person can buy a 25 disk set (all 7 seasons) on the internet, obviously copied from a VCR. How can people do that? I can't imagine it is legal. Any thoughts?

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

I do not think it would be legal.

[Gary Swartzlander]

http://retrotvtime.com/details/details_adam12.htm?_v=043463

Obviously looks aren't everything, but this seems to be a legitimate site, with legal products.

That series was one of my favorites.

[Mark Doble]

I still have the original Adam 12 steel lunch box! Still in use for my model paints. :fav18

[Jerry Frank]

This may well be a legit company but I am always leary about dealing with an online company that will not display a street address and city. I always wonder what the reason for that would be.

A general search for the product seems to suggest that only Season One is available through traditional legitimate stores such as Amazon, etc.


Jerry

[Norayr Hajian]

I'm wondering if there are some older TV programs that might not have the same copyright protections as the newer ones, or if the copyright is only on the music. For example, we once purchased some of the Flintstones as well as Beverly Hillbillies (in a store). The show was the same, but the music at the beginning (and the end) was completely different - making me wonder if the music was protected differently then the content of the show. Could it be possible that some shows (maybe like Adam-12) didn't have some copyright protection and now there are people distributing it? Maybe it's wishful thinking on our part (not that I'm about to go buy the full collection of some TV show for $180 - but it's good to know). Does anyone know?

[Dave McClung]

I'm wondering if there are some older TV programs that might not have the same copyright protections as the newer ones, or if the copyright is only on the music. For example, we once purchased some of the Flintstones as well as Beverly Hillbillies (in a store). The show was the same, but the music at the beginning (and the end) was completely different - making me wonder if the music was protected differently then the content of the show. Could it be possible that some shows (maybe like Adam-12) didn't have some copyright protection and now there are people distributing it? Maybe it's wishful thinking on our part (not that I'm about to go buy the full collection of some TV show for $180 - but it's good to know). Does anyone know?

When it comes to copyright law, it is easy to prove a violation but very difficult to prove damages. That means that a lot of people get by with violating the laws because it costs too much to stop them.

Sometimes, the owners of copyrights will spend the money to get an injunction against a violator just on principle, but it is fairly rare that they even recover the cost of their litigation. For that reason, most owner's of copyrights ignore violatons until the violations become serious enough to warrant criminal prosecution.

Selling copies of programs copied off of the air is clearly a violation of copyright law. If the seller sold enough to make it worth their time, it would also be worth enough to draw a law suit from the copyright owners.

[Jerry Frank]

Highly unlikely that a show of that nature would not be copyright protected. Copyright does not require registration (though that helps to track problems if a situation ever goes to court). The mere creation of a work results in copyright. My words in this message are copyrighted. The main actors in the show would be expecting royalty income from distribution of shows on DVD.

Some people will sell the right to use their work for a specific purpose. So a song writer might sell the right to use his music for transmission of a TV program but that might not include permission for distribution on DVD or other format. There might be other reasons for change in the music but this is one example I can think of.

Jerry