Bringing pirated material into US

[Vi Mazzella 4]

]You can bring them but just a few, I brought about 12 cd's last year and nobody checked.

Vi

Edited May 18, 2006 by Vi Mazzella

[yabasta 0]

blank cd`s are cheap enough in the U.S. just start your collection again.

[aidan80 9]

I have to admit, I brought some titles I couldn’t do without from back home, my copies where exact from the original but under the DMCA no less illegal. Although the majority of the Movies I brought where legal versions.

You could just get a fast internet connection, the proper software, a DVD burner and start a whole new collection!.. but under DMCA you could still be prosecuted for theft of intellectual property rights if you get caught. You could always just buy the real legal movies? I’d sooner pay more for high quality than dodgy, dark, shaky camcorder in the back of the cinema copies. I knew someone back home that made illegal copies of movies, music and software.. they made those things for pennies and sold them for more than a healthy profit.

I’d not risk everything just for some pirate movies.

[Fandango 1,439]

I never grasped the concept of a dvd collection. I watch a movie, then that's it...it's done. What's to collect?

And WHYWHYWHY on Earth...after going thru this whole K process...would you even contemplate bringing illegal stuff in? Like seriously...is Anjelina really worth it???

[TracyTN 237]

My fiance has taken several of the movies he bought on VHS and burned them to DVD. I don't even want him to bring those through. The whole thing makes me very nervous!!

[patricks 0]

I prefer to pay 75 cents for a music CD and support a poor Vietnamese merchant. I've NEVER seen anyone stopped at USA customs and do you think they really care about personal CDs? (Would they actually deport you AFTER getting your passport stamped and being admitted into the country for a few CDs after the baggage claim area? )

Mind you, my personal taxes are 100% legal and correct, NOW that's important..........

[Kajikit 65]

That's kind of a dumb question to ask... 'can I bring something into the US that it's supposedly illegal to have in my possession'. They're not going to deport you for having a few videos or whatever that you aren't supposed to have, they'll just confiscate them if they see them. It's not going to have legal consequences unless you look like an importer or something...

As to whether it's a good idea, I'll leave that to you and your conscience and how much respect (or otherwise) you have for the digital rights management people...

When I came over I brought copies of parts of my parents CD collection because they had a lot of fairly esoteric folk music disks that I love and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get my own copies in the US (even if I could afford it) and I didn't expect them to give me the originals because they loved them too... I figured that since we paid good money for them it was within our rights to make a personal use copy. In case there was any trouble, I put them into a seperate cd-holder to my own purchased disks, but nobody ever looked.

My own personal sense of ethics says that you should not knowingly purchase a pirated movie - it's supporting an illegal industry for one thing, for another the quality of the disks is TERRIBLE (my uncle has no such qualms and he lent us a couple of movies before they even showed up in the cinema in our country, but they were hardly watchable. For another, it'll show up in the retail market in six months! If you can't wait that long to see it, there's something wrong...

[patricks 0]

I guess I'm not politically correct? I should've also stopped and paid duty tax for the camera I bought abroad. And, next time, I'll throw out the prepackaged dried fruit that my Vietnamese friends in the USA appreciate from their mother land. Therefore, I will be legal, show respect for the law and have a better conscience, Thank you!

But, it's OK to copy music if you pay good money for it? Now the issue of ethics is becoming more clear?

[Jaylen Brit 0]

I guess I'm not politically correct? I should've also stopped and paid duty tax for the camera I bought abroad. And, next time, I'll throw out the prepackaged dried fruit that my Vietnamese friends in the USA appreciate from their mother land. Therefore, I will be legal, show respect for the law and have a better conscience, Thank you!

But, it's OK to copy music if you pay good money for it? Now the issue of ethics is becoming more clear?

Its not illegal to make a copy of a CD you have purchased if that copy is for your own personal use.

And the point of the Original Post wasnt 'is it moral/right' it was 'is it advisable to bring pirated stuff, which may or may not get found out, on the first leg of their migrant process'.

The advice, in the main, was no. Its not advisiable to risk getting caught by customs over something this unimportant which may or may not have far reaching consequences.

If I start a new job, a place I've wanted to be for ages, and its really important to me, and on my first day I steal a cheap ball point pen, worth 25 cents, is it gonna win me brownie points with my new boss? Its a similar deal.

Not worth it.

[patricks 0]

Bring personal CDs into the country and stealing from your employer. Are those two the same? (Please think of a more relevant comparison)

Don't worry, bring a few personal CDs, you'll be glad you did. No Biggy..........

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Ah..I think I see the confusion here - this isnt about personal CDs but PIRATED stuff - not copies you make of your own legally owned stuff (you're allowed to make one copy for your own use)

Piracy is theft - hence all those FBI warnings on DVDs that you can't skip past

[esperando 0]

I just take them out of there covers put the paper cover page in a book and mix the cd's/dvd's in with my others. I have never had an issue but i usually bring 15-20 because i speak a few languages and like to have subtitles and sound in other languages, and its hard to get here!

Allison

[patricks 0]

As Espernado said, take them out of the orginal cases and mix with them your others, no problem.

Secondly, a previous poster implied that a person who brings in CHEAP Cds into the states has "unethical" morals, a lack of respect for other people's rights, etc. Therefore, I wanted to express to the orginal poster that bringing cheap Cds (they were purchased legally in their home country) for personal use ISN'T a big deal and she shouldn't let her negative "conscience" affect her decision to bring some personal items. Everyone I know who reguarally travels between the States and Vietnam hasn't had a problem with bringing CDs from VN.

I'm just curious, How can a foreign resident (ie. Australian & British nationals) currently living in the states offer advice about American dealings and more importantly imply their moral beliefs? (credibility problem)

Note: I say all this with a non-serious sense of humor

[aussiewench 9]

Do they have copyright laws in vietnam?

[rob&ana 0]

I think it just depends on how many you're planning on bringing. I did bring some copied CDs... I dont think they will stop you because of that. Just be careful...