This was during an era where VHS was standard and DVD’s were just brand new at the time (before streaming sites existed). Chains like Blockbuster were booming back then with people renting movies or even TV shows for a fee but have to return them by an expected date, what happens is that in order to “keep” a copy, people would use a PC with disc burning software to burn the contents from that DVD onto a blank one.
Know those blank white DVDs? Basically those were used on storing a “pirated” disc for themselves before returning the rented copy back at the video rental store. When I was a kid, I remember encountering what clearly a pirated copy of The Prince of Egypt (so who ever pirated it kept the rented copy) since the disc art is crappy & low quality (it’s been printed then glued onto a blank DVD used for copying upon peeling it off).
I had thought quite common. I know I was at every step of the way. Started with vhs way back in the day. I was just a kid, probably 10 or 11. Dad used to bring home pirated bootleg bloopers a mate had given him, or something. But I just figured out how to do it, at every stage for myself, because I loved rewatching my favourite movies over and over. I didn’t think it was ever hard, or expensive. I just asked the guys at the local electronics store, if I got stuck. They helped me figure out how to bypass the copywrite protection on vhs tapes.