In the 2003 rulemaking of the Librarian of Congress, http://www.copyright.gov/1201/docs/registers-recommendation.pdf the comment was that "It is uncontested that merely watching a lawfully obtained copy of a non-region 1 DVD is a noninfringing use" BUT "Persons with multi-region players are able to watch non-region 1 DVDs, but multi-region players appear to violate the prohibition on circumvention. They are, however, widely available in the online marketplace, and there is no indication that copyright owners or others have made any efforts to stop their distribution or use. Persons who use multi-region players to watch non-region 1 DVDs probably would be circumventing a technological protection measure that prevents access."
The preferred method for playback of a non-region 1 DVD, says the argument, is a computer DVD drive, which can play the disc without circumvention. So far as I know this still stands. This is fine for an individual who wants to play European or Latin American DVDs and can dedicate a computer drive to that, but not so good for libraries and language labs. However, ALL the 2003 comments were by individuals who wanted to play one other region. To address another comment on this thread-it has never been illegal (just problematic) to play back PAL or SECAM (foreign standard) video. Some weeks ago, someone posted on Media-L a link to this vendor of combo units. http://www.220-electronics.com/dvd/combo.htm Judy Shoaf
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
