Expect lawsuits. From the NYT:
People have been avidly feeding music CDs into their computers for years, ripping digital copies of albums and transferring the files to their other computers and mobile devices.
This has not happened nearly as much with DVDs, for both practical and legal reasons. But that may soon change.
On Monday, RealNetworks, the digital media company in Seattle, will introduce RealDVD, a $30 software program for Windows computers that allows users to easily make a digital copy of an entire DVD — down to the extras and artwork from the box.
Robert Glaser, chief executive of RealNetworks, called it “a compelling and very responsible product that gives consumers a way to do something they have always wanted to do,” like make backup copies of favorite discs and take movies with them on their laptops when they travel.
The software, which will go on sale on Real.com and Amazon.com this month, will allow buyers to make one copy of a DVD, playable only on the computer where it was made. The user can transfer that copy to up to five other Windows computers, but only by buying additional copies of the software for $20 each.
Oh. Pffft. Please.
It's expensive, but Slysoft AnyDVD removes DVD encryption, and tools like CloneDVD can duplicate DVDs. And free tools like Handbrake do a wonderful job of ripping DVDs to the hard drive, per my guide.