Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great
If I buy one copy, but have a hundred copies on my hard disk is that a hundred copyright violations? (You'd have trouble winning the case in court.)
If I move those 100 copies to 100 backup servers I've leased space on, is that a hundred copyright violations? (Again, you'd have trouble winning the case in court.)
It looks like it would be a copyright violation when someone else opened the file. But that is a users issue, not copies issue.
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To answer the question: Legally... in the U.S. ... yes, you'd have 100 copyright violations there.
However, historically (so far) the courts have ruled according to whether you made any of those copyright violations available to others, or (maybe) could prove that you intended to. If the court believed those copies were all for you and you alone (" I just like to be thorough with my backups, your honor"), and none had been disseminated, you would not be prosecuted.
If they thought even one copy had or might get out "into the wild," they could prosecute you to the full extent of the law.
They keep execution (pun intended) of the law intentionally vague, in order to allow the courts to decide on judgment calls like that.