Is it against copyright laws to echange an opened DVD

[Crothian]

I went to my local Best Buy to exchange a DVD that was opened but unwatched. We accidentally bought a second copy of something we had. I was unable to exchange it because as the woman said it was against Copyright laws do do so.

I'm wondering if this is true. Do copyright laws make it illegal to exchange opened DVDs for something else?

 

[Umbran]

I don't believe so, though I may be wrong.

If I recall correctly, places like Best Buy don't take opened DVDs because they cannot properly repackage and resell them.

 

[Morrus]

No, but it's probably against store policy (for the reasons Umbran mentioned, in addition to the fact that it might be damaged in some way).

 

[Umbran]

Another reason would be to avoid the perception of assisting copyright infringement.

Scenario: You buy a movie. You take it home, open it, and burn a copy. Take the original back to the store, exchange, bring it home, copy it. If you're really clever, you can work several cycles of this.

While they have no proof you've done something naughty, the policy may keep the DVD producers off their backs.

 

[Crothian]

I don't have an issue with the policy. If it is store's policy that's fine. But I thought it was odd that the woman was using copyright law as the reason why.

 

[coyote6]

I'm pretty sure it's an almost universal store policy -- if it's opened, they don't take returns, unless it's defective (and then they exchange it for the same item). I've seen notices to that effect at Target, Best Buy, Circuit City (when it existed), and a few other places.

 

[Umbran]

I don't have an issue with the policy. If it is store's policy that's fine. But I thought it was odd that the woman was using copyright law as the reason why.

Even if it is incorrect, it is not at all odd. If they claim it as a store policy, that leaves the customer with the idea that either the store/chain has an inconvenient (colloquially, "stupid") policy, or they may be able to argue the employee into making an exception to the policy.

If they blame it on copyright law, it is 100% out of the store's hands. You can take it up with the Federal Government if you don't like it.

 

[Mark]

Paging Dannyalcatraz . . .

 

[Crothian]

If they blame it on copyright law, it is 100% out of the store's hands. You can take it up with the Federal Government if you don't like it.

Except in this case were I can't find that is the case and it looks like she lied to me.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

She has been conditioned to lie to you by probably hundreds of customers berating her for policies over which she has no control.

There isn't enough money in the world to get me to work retail ever again. And if there were, they sure as heck wouldn't be giving it to people in retail, anyway.

I'm not defending the lie, exactly. I'm just saying I understand it.