[lucumo]

> Are you implying that it is somehow illegal or "infringing" to dump a data stream being sent to your computer to a file?

No, what I'm saying is that if you write a script to dump Hulu.com files and advertise it on the main page of your project as a main feature of how you can use it, you really shouldn't be surprised that people think the main use of your program is to infringe.

[DarkShikari]

Again, how is that infringement?

They are sending you data. You have the right to put it in a file. That is not infringement.

If you aren't legally allowed to put it in a file, they weren't allowed to send it to you, so Hulu is infringing, not you.

[csbrooks]

What's legal, especially under the DMCA, isn't defined by what you feel is common sense, unfortunately.

[DarkShikari]

Indeed, it's not defined by common sense or (thank god) what you "feel is right": it's defined by the law, which doesn't agree with such absurd concepts as it being illegal to save data onto a disk.

Even the DMCA doesn't prevent that: it prevents bypassing certain types of copy protection schemes. By your logic, the DMCA makes it illegal to dump a DVD to your hard disc, which is categorically false: it is only illegal to break the CSS encryption, not to dump the data. It is also not illegal to dump the video data after it has left the decoder.

I suggest you do more reading on the legal system and its precedents (particularly Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.) before you attempt to comment on it.

Of course, this all applies to the US. Your mileage may vary in other countries.