copying copyrighted discs

[inquisitiv]

During the past several days, I easily copied discs of televised, copyrighted movies (from TCM: Turner Classic Movies), which were recorded on +/- RW blank DVDs. Under the US copyright laws, copying copyrighted material (for one's own personal use) has long been permissible, when the material is publicly distributed in this specific manner.

 

However, Express Burn refuses to make a copy of this same type of copyrighted material existing on a DVD RAM disc, which is an erasable medium in a different format. A message is displayed, to the effect that the disc is copyrighted and cannot therefore be copied!

 

There is no sensible reason that the ability to burn a copy be linked with the DVD format (i.e., with +/- RW versus RAM) of the media upon which the copyrighted source material has been recorded. Can anyone provide a justification for such a link? I can name three competing (and highly popular) disc- burning software products which do not erect this Bizarre Barrier to the successful use of the otherwise-superb Express Burn.