(link removed) Go find your hard work on their site
 

Go find your hard work on their site

Does a public library need special permission from an author to offer their books/cds/videos for free? I don't know the answer, I'm just curious.

I don't understand your problem. Assuming they have purchased enough legal copies to cover all the DVD's they have in circulation, how does this operation differ in any way from Blockbuster or similar brick-and-mortar video rental stores stocking and renting videos of theatrical release movies and broadcast TV series? Wasn't that issue settled by the courts many years ago?

The right to resell, redistribute, or rent out a video lies with the copyright holder unless expressly given.

Ever READ the FBI warnings on the front of a tape?

WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, video tapes or video discs.

I also like to put on my tapes

WARNING: THe motion picture contained in this videodisc is protected under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. This disc is sold for HOME USE only and all other rights are expressly reserved by the copyright owner of such motion pictures. Any copying or public performance of such motion picture is strictly prohibited and may subject the offender to civil liability and severe criminal penalties.
(Title 17, US Code. Section 501 and 506)

If they are buying enough copies to rent, you don't have a beef. If you catch them making their own copies, find a good attorney and put them out of business.

But I am wondering how they enforce return of the videos or late fees when they use Paypal for payments. Paypal will not allow any future charges against your account without your approval. So I guess they could cut you off, but that is about all they have the power to do.

I also see that they are renting some videos for $10 a week that I can buy for $15, or even cheaper on eBay. So those are pure profit for them.

Handy resource though, thanks for pointing it out to me. They are one of several that do this, FWIW.

Nothing you've mentioned negates my comments. They're (apparently) not reproducing, distributing (copies they've made -sh), or exhibiting the videos nor are they publically performing them. So how is this in any way different from the corner video rental store other than it's done over the Net rather than through a brick-and-mortar retail location and they're specializing in titles whose target market is so narrow that the corner video store isn't likely to stock them?