Rob Davies wrote:
Return DVD and inform store of such an issue, although these days it
does not make much difference as most DVD players are not so
restricted. But they may have a region 4 copy of your disc, and yes
technically the shop is breaching some sort of copyright or something
similar.
While they might be breaching an agreement with their suppliers, I
really don't see how they'd be doing anything legally wrong. Not that
I'm a lawyer or anything. DVD regioning is a technical measure to create
artificial market segmentation. It's a business tool, and I'd be amazed
if there's anything illegal about selling "out of region" DVDs.
The scheme is enforced by contracts and licenses with DVD player makers
("To get a CSS decoding key, you must also suppport regioning to our
specifications") and vendors ("if you want us to sell you our stock, you
can't sell any out-of-region DVDs from any other supplier"). In some
countries it's backed up by piggy-backing on legislation that protects
"technical anti-copying measures" by relying on the fact that CSS is
both a copy protection technology AND a market segmentation device.
Sneaky, aren't they?
The upshot of this is that, AFAIK, it's quite legal to buy and sell
out-of-region discs, supplier agreements permitting. You can also play
them if you can find a player that'll do it, and if the local laws don't
consider the player a copyright circumvention device (which they most
likely won't - the player isn't what does the copying). Your challenge
isn't legal, but rather getting around the rather neat locked in
agreements the studios and the DVD CCA have with equipment vendors and
disc retailers. All I can say there is "Thank-you, China!".
--
Craig Ringer
