Is it legal to record an episode of a TV series or a movie?
<p>Is it legal to record an episode of a TV series or a movie? Isn't it considered as making an illegal copy of the movie? </p>

<p>At least for the US, there's a good overview in The Atlantic of the SCOTUS benchmark case concerning home recording, still applicable in these days of DVDs and streaming content and torrents and thepiratebay.org: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>...the Supreme Court's decision to allow home recording in the
  landmark 1984 case, Universal Studios vs. Sony Corporation of America,
  went 5-4; one justice flipping and you wouldn't have to imagine that
  alternate reality because you'd be living it. See <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-court-case-that-almost-made-it-illegal-to-tape-tv-shows/251107/" rel="noreferrer">http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-court-case-that-almost-made-it-illegal-to-tape-tv-shows/251107/</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>The case revolved around whether recording a television program was "fair use" under copyright law. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by
  permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain
  circumstances. See <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html" rel="noreferrer">https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>So yes, you can make yourself a copy, because </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"that the making of individual copies of complete television shows for
  purposes of time shifting does not constitute copyright infringement,
  but is fair use."
  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc" rel="noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc</a>.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Time shifting as in watching it later, and much later again, as long as you don't distribute that copy, sell admission to watching it, and anything else reasonable when it comes to only you using the copy.</p>

<p>Hungary would not particularly care about Sony, since they rely more on what the law actually states rather than interpretations by courts. Chapter 4 of <a href="http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/files/39703/12519733393hu_copyright1999_Conso2007_en.pdf/hu_copyright1999_Conso2007_en.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Hungarian copyright law</a>, on "free use" covers this, especially Article 35(1):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A copy of the work may  be made by a natural person for private
  purposes if it is not intended for earning or increasing  income  even
  in  an  indirect  way.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>However, also see 35(3):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>It shall not be considered as free use to have a work copied by
  someone else by means of a computer and/or on an electronic data
  carrier, even if it is done for private purposes.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Note that remuneration is due, from manufacturers of blank recording media, under Article 20 (sine recording shows is legal, but not totally without compensation to the rights-holder).</p>

<p>There many ways that I see people posting for example a copyright; in which people finally manage to post videos by recording an episode or television series that will make it legal like posting on YouTube and you can't delete it right away, and it still there on the copyright notice page.</p>

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