ok i just rented little black book as i learned from this site it can't be copied i'm using dvd shrink and nero 6 but if i use Vobblanker will that settle my prob...thanx for any help

OK, I will restrain myself from commenting on the legal and moral issues regarding renting and stealing and simply say this. Download the latest AnyDVD and use your favorite burning package to make a backup of your purchased "Little Black Book" DVD.

(sorry, couldn't help myself)

NO THAT WILL NOT SETTLE YOUR PROBLEM, VOBBLANKER WILL NOT SETTLE ANYONE'S STEALING ISSUE......

BUY BUY BUY, NOW THAT WILL SETTLE YOUR PROBLEM......

And read read read the rules

Stupid off-topic question from a german living in switzerland: Is it illegal in the US to copy rented DVDs for personal use? (Let's assume they are not copy protected, to avoid DMCA discussions)
I ask this, because both in Germany & Switzerland this would be legal. And is here at cd-freaks a better forum to discuss these kind of topics?

Ollie wrote:
As far as I know, everything that is rentable is copy protected, Even some Live broadcast on Television gives the same warning.

What would you consider personal use?

It IS ilegal to copy rentals in the USA

Thanks for the info!

@Hamp: this pretty much ends the discussion, no matter what "personal use" might be...

Olli > Sad but true sorry to say. Also i might have spoke wrong. This person might not be in the USA

OMG, thats true, I didn't think about that when I spoke up. . . .

So if I go the the video rental, copy the movie and bring it back keeping my copy it's really legal?

p.s. would be so nice

Yes, it is, even if the movie industry tries to tell you otherwise with trailers on the dvds (The catchy line "Nur Original ist Legal" - "Only original is legal" on the DVDs I've bought in Switzerland does indeed rhyme, but is probably legally not quite correct).
You are allowed to make copies for personal use. Personal use is just what it says, personal use. Making a copy for your girlfriend still is personal use. If your girlfriend makes another copy for personal use for her brother, this is still legal, because she got the source legally. Selling it on the schoolyard, well, isn't.
Tools like AnyDVD are legal in Switzerland, but the government will probably change this someday. At the moment using it copy protected movies for personal use is legal.

In Germany it is illegal (but no criminal offense, if only for private use) to bypass copy protections since 13. September 2004.
Selling tools like AnyDVD in Germany (and some countries of the European Union) is illegal and might even be a criminal offense, if you do it for profit. That's why Elaborate Bytes AG sold this "brillant piece of work" (cough, cough) to SlySoft, Inc.

Buying, owning and using AnyDVD in Germany is absolutely legal (despite what you hear in many public forums). What a relief, even Germans can legally watch foreign Region DVDs they brought from their holidays on their PC with AnyDVD's help. Or use "skip to main movie" to avoid those catchy spots like "Raubkopierer sind Verbrecher" or "Nur Original ist Legal".
Using it to copy DVDs which are copy protected is illegal (but no criminal offense, if you do it for personal use).
No criminal offense means: No state attorney, no police, no search warrant, no crime.
As bypassing the copy protection was illegal (even, if it wasn't a crime) the unprotected source you gave your girlfriend is no legal source, so she can't make a legal copy, even if she wouldn't bypass any protection. I am sure, the makers of copy protections will like this law most, as adding some copyprotection will effectively remove your right for personal backup.
Well, you still may do a personal copy, but you are not allowed to bypass the copy protection. What a wonderful law, because the copy is still allowed - so everyone must pay copyright fees on media, burners, and the like - but actually forbidden, because you CAN'T make a personal copy without breaking some protection. Brilliant!

Disclaimer: I am no lawyer, I don't give you legal advice, I am talking bs, I know nothing, before you copy anything ask your local law adviser, the laws can vary from country to country, blah, blah...

But let's stop here, this is way off topic for the technical anydvd forum. (although it is an interesting subject). If you want to look at the mess of copyright law in Europe, you might want to look here (Powered by cdfreaks, Computer/Law Institute in Amsterdam, Elaborate Bytes AG and others): http://www.euro-copyrights.org
Unfortunately Switzerland isn't covered there, but that's the price for not being an EU member.

I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT I KNEW IT......

thanx that was helpful

very interesting...thanks for the insight Olli.

Thanks a lot for the info Olli.