Back when we would record onto VHS, is that considered piracy? Found a super bowl XXXI tape from my Uncle circa 1997. I'm curious lol.
Also side note, have any of you dabbled in digitizing old VHS? Have quite a few home videos on VHS and I'm wanting to preserve them for the future. I've done a bit of research and have come across a wide array of information. I know that doesn't really qualify as piracy, if there's a better comm for this, please direct me there!
I presume from superb owl that you are from USA.
No. It was deemed legal and fair use as was recording radio on c-cassettes.
Considering digitizing, Web stores are full of usb capture dongles and rca/scart adapters. Obs and Videolan are free and easy to use.
For editing, Openshot is free and quite easy to use.
All these are available on Windows, Linux and Mac.
It was deemed legal and fair use after the film and music industries sued VCR manufacturers and users.
So yeah, it absolutely was considered piracy by the media production and distribution companies. The courts disagreeing with them doesn't change that.
This may just be a semantic argument. Media production can consider it piracy, but that's irrelevant as it had no legal standing. Without a law prohibiting something, it's legal. And the fact that they sued and lost means it was never illegal and the media companies can declare it "piracy" or "treason against Columbia Pictures" or whatever they want until they're blue in the face but no one cares.