from [log in to unmask] Here is my understanding of the issue: The DMCA does not make the capture of analog DVD signals illegal. One may still record the analog signal from a DVD and use the copied segment within the Fair Use limitations. I contacted our campus copyright lawyer and together we went over the language of the DMCA summary document at www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf found on pp 3 and 4: Copyright Office Summary December 1998 Page 3 Section 1201 divides technological measures into two categories: measures that prevent unauthorized access to a copyrighted work and measures that prevent unauthorized copying of a copyrighted work. Making or selling devices or services that are used to circumvent either category of technological measure is prohibited in certain circumstances, described below. As to the act of circumvention in itself, the provision prohibits circumventing the first category of technological measures, but not the second. This distinction was employed to assure that the public will have the continued ability to make fair use of copyrighted works. Since copying of a work may be a fair use under appropriate circumstances, section 1201 does not prohibit the act of circumvent- ing a technological measure that prevents copying. By contrast, since the fair use doctrine is not a defense to the act of gaining unauthorized access to a work, the act of circumventing a technological measure in order to gain access is prohibited. If we understand this correctly, the playing of a DVD and capturing the analog output does not circumvent any technological measure that prevents _access_ to the copyrighted work. The prohibition is against the use of technology that circumvents the encoding, such as the popular ripping software programs. Also, we may legally circumvent anti-copying technology like Macrovision in order to copy segments of video for non-infringing uses such as class presentation. *********************************************** LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning (http://iallt.org/), and The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (http://www.languageconsortium.org/). Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask]) ***********************************************