For the sake of thousands of amateur YouTube video creators, PLEASE stop saying that this ruling allows people to use movie clips in YouTube videos or video mashups. Because it doesn't.
The exemption is extremely narrow. You have to satisfy the following in order to break DVD copyright protection:
1. You need to be a professor, college student or documentary filmmaker. The exemption does not apply to K-12 student projects, nor does it automatically grant everyone with a YouTube account documentary filmmaker status.
2. The clip must be limited in length.
3. The clip must be used for COMMENTARY or CRITICISM. So just slapping Samuel Jackson's scenes in Pulp Fiction next to picture of cats and throwing that on YouTube does not justify breaking DVD CSS.
4. THERE MUST BE A NEED FOR HIGH QUALITY VIDEO. The ruling explicitly states that if low quality video or even a screen capture would suffice for the criticism or commentary, then circumventing DVD protections is NOT allowed. That's why this exemption makes sense for documentary filmmakers, educators, etc but it is not the golden ticket for amateur filmmakers or anyone trying to make a video go viral.
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