Is it illegal to buy Copied DVD's

DutchBoyDutchBoy
in Everything Else
I came across an add on Craiglists of a list of over 800 copied DVD's for $1 a peice. I know its illegal to sell them, and this guy and taking a HUGE chance doing this but would I be liable for purchasing some?
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Comments

  • dangevindangevin
    You're asking if you'd be responsible for knowingly purchasing stolen property?
  • matt163201matt163201
    Just as long as you state you are just buying the DVDs themselves, and not the media on them....then I think ur pretty legit
  • dangevindangevin
    ^ you expect that to hold up in court?



    The reality of the matter is, the feds aren't going to track you down and charge you for every bit of taped/burned media in your posession.



    But if you're a source of it, they're much more likely to put pressure on you (like the RIAA did to people using MP3 sharing programs a while ago).
  • zeekozeeko
    Don't risk it, it could be a sting operation, it's happened before.
  • matt163201matt163201
    Go for broke, Id say do it......I hear they now allow internet use in prison so all is well
  • Jumpman Jr.Jumpman Jr.
    What the hell are you going to do with 800 copied DVDs?
  • DestructoDiskDestructoDisk
    No one sets up sting operations on buyers. They go after sellers. Even if they did go after you, which is like a 1/billion shot. They would get nothing out of you, and there are a million ways to play it dumb.. Whats a copy dvd?? Is that like the original master disc officer? I thought im buying a collectors items. O really they are just copies officer? I should read the fine print next time. They would waste far too much time and resources to get the 200$ out of you in court. They go after dealers where they can make thousands in court.
  • Joe WestJoe West
    there probably 800 copys of ernest goe's in the army
  • WidarWidar
    Originally posted by: dragonlunch

    No one sets up sting operations on buyers. They go after sellers.

    Not when it comes to drugs.


    Originally posted by: matt163201

    Go for broke, Id say do it......I hear they now allow internet use in prison so all is well

    Hey, can you please send my winnings to cellrow A2, cell 14, california state prison? image

  • nes_kingnes_king
    i think you can buy the stuff with no worries.. the seller would be the one who should worry about getting cought..
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    ^^^ You sir, are incorrect.



    It's illegal, plain and simple.
  • DestructoDiskDestructoDisk
    Yeah, its illeagal, but the chances of them prosecuting you are slim to none. And if they do you can make up a defence pretty easily. They do stuff to make money for the state, and theres not alot of money in targetign buyers.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Well, tell that to the lady making less than $30k per year who got fined $100's of thousands last year for using one of the peer-to-peer clients. Supposedly she was a victim of ip-spoofing, but it's not tough for interested prosecutors to make any defense you would come up with sound preposterous to an ignorant jury.
  • TFGZTFGZ
    ^File sharing is different because it contributes to the trafficing of pirated media.



    Street bootleggers get nailed for selling, I've never heard of a buyer getting arrested. That said, you should excercise some street smarts and don't enter a transaction with someone flagrantly advertising 800 counts of federal law violation.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Buying bootlegs also contributes to the trafficing of pirated media by providing financial incentive to the pirates.



    It wouldn't be worth being to one poor sucker to actually get caught and prosecuted.
  • PhinsPhins
    It's like buying drugs. Who's at fault, the seller or the buyer? Usually it's both.
  • nes_kingnes_king
    well lets say there NOT advertised at bootleg, then if i buy it is there anything that the law could do to me???
  • matt163201matt163201
    Alright lets get down to brass tacks here...



    You gonna man up and take the deal or what?



  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    NES king...lets put it this way...you "accidently" purchase some cocaine thinking, innocently enough, that a nice street vendor is selling you some powdered sugar...



    It's up to you. Strictly speaking, if you didn't know they were bootleg, you wouldn't be liable for anything until you take delivery of them (at which point it should be obvious that they're not legit).



    I wouldn't normally worry about something like this. But 800 is A LOT, and the laws in effect for these kinds of things are PER OFFENSE (800 of them here!). The guys selling is obviously a dumbass, but it would probably be in your best interest to not be the greater dumbass.
  • matt163201matt163201
    I still opt for do it



    (note I wouldnt do it but that strictly cause I like to do my own encoding, since I dont like depending on others "work")
  • TFGZTFGZ
    Originally posted by: nes_king

    well lets say there NOT advertised at bootleg, then if i buy it is there anything that the law could do to me???



    It's possible, but you wouldn't be guilty of distribution or reproduction which is what the federal laws are aimed at.  You would instead be looking at your state criminal codes for possession or receipt of stolen goods, or contraband.  In most states the value of each item in question has to be over a certain value, which these would not exceed.   And in most jurisdictions the police would be too busy with real crimes to bother with any of this.   They would go after the seller, maybe, and that would be it.

    That doesn't mean this is a smart scenario.  There are much easier ways to build a free collection with no risk to yourself, and at roughly the same cost.

    *Comparing pirated movies to drugs is moronic, dvds are not a controlled substance.

  • matt163201matt163201
    I gotta get me some DVDs fast, my neck is itching and im hurting for my fix of DVDs
  • TFGZTFGZ
    keep it on the dl man, I think Arch is a narc
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Ha. Whatever. I was just drawing a comparison that you can be stuck holding the bag even if you don't know what you're actually holding.
  • TFGZTFGZ
    Actually most states do take malice of forethought into consideration for crimes. The only exceptions tend to be in drug or sex related cases.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Well, it definitely depends on the crime. Your intent is irrelevent if your a passenger while your buddy commits a robbery.

  • DutchBoyDutchBoy
    I didn't ecpect this much of a response, but I will go for it and tell you how it goes. I have a built in DVD player in my car so I will test before buying. if it was like a sting operation I would doubt the feds would have made these copies...unless they busted others and got these...but as stated I highly doubt its a sting...I will be picking them up over the weekend.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    I don't think anybody believes this is a sting. We were just debating the relative illegality of things.



    Watch your cornhole, Peter man.
  • matt163201matt163201
    Awesome...You can do it
  • DutchBoyDutchBoy
    I don't belive it to be a sting either, I wasn't worried about any legal actions from myself purchasing these, just curious to know if it was illegal to buy. My answer has been answered, thanks everyone
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