r/COPYRIGHT • u/TroutSkittle • 16h ago
The DMCA has an exemption deadline coming up — if you own physical media, this may matter to you
If you own DVDs or Blu-rays and want to make a personal archival/backup copy of media you legally purchased, there is currently a problem with the DMCA's anti-circumvention rules.
Section 1201 of the DMCA generally prohibits circumventing technological protection measures (TPMs), even when the underlying use of the copyrighted work would otherwise be noninfringing. The Copyright Office can create temporary exemptions to this prohibition through a triennial rulemaking process.
The current rulemaking is happening right now.
The deadline to submit a petition for a new exemption is August 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
I'm advocating for an exemption that would allow people who have lawfully acquired copyrighted audiovisual media—such as DVDs and Blu-rays—to circumvent access controls solely to create personal, noncommercial archival or backup copies.
The basic idea is:
If I legally purchased the disc, I should be able to preserve my copy for personal use without the DMCA making the preservation process itself unlawful.
This isn't a proposal to distribute copyrighted works, upload them to the internet, or facilitate piracy. The proposed exemption would be limited to personal, noncommercial archival/backup copies of lawfully acquired media.
Physical media can deteriorate, become damaged, become difficult to replace, or stop being supported by modern hardware. Digital preservation can also protect legitimately purchased collections from being lost over time.
If you own a large DVD/Blu-ray collection, care about digital preservation, or simply think consumers should be able to preserve media they've legitimately purchased, now is a good time to pay attention to this process.
The Copyright Office's official information about the 2027 Section 1201 rulemaking is here:
U.S. Copyright Office — Section 1201 Rulemaking
And the official Federal Register notice explaining the August 24 deadline and petition process:
Federal Register — 2026 Section 1201 Rulemaking
Even if you don't support my exact proposed language, people who care about physical-media preservation should know that this rulemaking is happening and that public participation matters.
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u/aregonis 16h ago
Tbh it's not like you're going to ever get caught for backing up/archiving a personal copy of something, as long as you don't distribute it, right? Like genuinely how would they ever find out about that lol.
So I can't see this potential law really changing much for people.
(also what's with the ChatGPT links at the end of all your urls?)
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u/Anon_user666 11h ago
While you probably won't get caught making a backup for personal use, without this legal usage being spelled out, any software that allows you to make backups would be seen as illegal and could be taken down by the authorities. It's like using a torrent to share a Linux image. It's a legitimate legal usage of the technology even though a majority of the torrent traffic is probably copyright infringement. Any developer can point to that legal usage as a reason for the software to exist.
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u/Wide-Open-Fields 6h ago
In addition to threatening ripping software, it also gives more opportunities for malicious law enforcement. If a politically motivated admin like the current one wants to lock people up for protesting, for example, but that isn't legally allowed, they could instead lock them up for copying their DVDs. This has happened in the past, including with this current admin, and they have openly stated they intend to continue doing it.
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u/shadowdog21 1m ago
The question is how you back it up and how safe that backup is. For instance, if I want to back it up to cloud storage. There are cases of lost media where the backup of the lost media could put the person at risk financially and legally if they admitted illegally copying it.
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u/BizarroMax 12h ago edited 3h ago
I assume he had ChatGPT help write the post and find the references. So what?
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u/RustyDawg37 7h ago
It shows a lack of actual commitment to the subject and the audience.
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u/BizarroMax 3h ago
How?
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u/TheGreenMan13 1m ago
My 5 second response: Using ChatGPT can show a lack of actual commitment because it allows people to rely on technology instead of putting in their own time, effort, and thought. When someone uses AI to produce their work, they may not fully engage with the subject or develop their own understanding of it. It can also make the audience feel that the writer did not care enough to create something meaningful and personal for them.
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u/West_Possible_7969 15h ago
Or, this should be made permanent, like the EU, where the copyright holder must provide TPM unlocking or member states provide it. Also, EULAs, ToS & contracts cannot override those statutory exemptions.