Law and the world wide web

I saw an article that talked about backing up DVDs and whether or not that was a
violation of the fair use concept. The courts ruled that it was because it
conflicts with the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which exists to address
industry concerns about PC-based media copying. Basically, the industry is so
concerned about people copying and distributing media that they are preventing
anyone from copying it for any purpose. Many people wanted to back up their DVDs
in case they got scratched, corrupted, or otherwise damaged, as any of those
things would make them useless. However, they cannot because someone else might
use the technology to break the law.
I think this is ridiculous. I believe that if you pay for something, you should
be able to ensure that you are able to have continued use of it. Consumers
should not be punished for something that someone else may or may not do.
That is a dangerous precedent, especially if applied to other aspects of life,
such as gun ownership. Most people who own guns do not commit crimes with them;
however, a small percentage do. Does that mean we should prevent everyone from
owning a gun?
Furthermore, laws such as these encourage the very same behavior they were
enacted to put an end to. Why go out and spend $15-$25 to buy a DVD that might
get ruined a while later? You might as well have burned the money. I agree that
illegal distribution is a problem and should not be ignored; however, there are
better ways to do it. Punishing others for the mistakes of a few is not the way,
especially when the punishment includes denying some of the legal rights of the
owner. Furthermore, as with the aforementioned gun analogy, those who choose to
break the law will find another way to do it so limiting the rights of others
does no good to the industry.