Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.

Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984), also known as the “Betamax case”, is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States which ruled that the making of individual copies of complete television shows for purposes of time shifting does not constitute copyright infringement, but is fair use. 
The Court also ruled that the manufacturers of home video recording devices, such as Betamax or other VCRs cannot be found guilty for infringement. The case was a boon to the home video market, as it created a legal safe haven for the technology.