Most commercial DVD distributors must comply with federal laws and copy protect DVD content with content scrambling algorithms. These algorithms are known as Content Scrambling Systems (CSS), Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). These programs make it difficult to clearly copy the information from the DVD. The DVD must be played in a federally approved device that can decode the algorithm.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 sets forth rules for copy protecting DVDs. It sets standards for licensed DVD and DVD-player manufacturing. More importantly, it is a federal crime to circumvent the content scrambling algorithm or sell content scrambling algorithm circumvention programs. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it difficult to find a suitable way to circumvent copy protection.
DVDs made overseas are often in a different format. These DVDs may not play in your American-made DVD player or computer. DVDs manufactured in other countries are regulated by different laws. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it illegal to sell foreign-made DVDs that do not meet U.S. copy protection standards. Therefore, it is difficult or illegal to play foreign-made DVDs in the U.S.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation enforces federal anti-piracy laws of copyright infringement. You do not need to profit off the copy of rented movies to break federal laws. You may notice that at the beginning of your movie an FBI warning details the punishment for intellectual theft, which can be five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.