How can I tell if a DVD is copywritten?

Copyright is AUTOMATIC.

It is owned by the CREATOR of the media.

It needn't carry a copyright symbol nor must it be registered.

In other words, if you did not film the documentary yourself, you do not own the copyright and could be prosecuted for selling the material without permission of the copyright owner.

~Dr. B.~

It IS copywrritten. Any work of intellect or art is copyright on creation. If you make a copy (other than very specific situations), you are committing an offense.

The only exception might be if the DVD itself was a pirated copy, but the underlying product would still be copyright.

Your 'business' is illegal.

Inherently, any created work is copyrighted just by it's existence. You need permission from the owners to reproduce it to sell it, so unless they have allowed it to be free-use or in the public domain, you cannot sell it.

You would have to research each documentary individually before you are able to reproduce it, and because you are trying to 'sell' it, you are only going to end up getting yourself in trouble anyways, since you are profiting off of someone else's work.

Short version: You can't make money from a documentary that someone else made.

Copyright law applies to EVERYTHING that can be protected by copyright. DVDs have not existed long enough for copyright to expire. Therefore, ALL DVDs are protected by copyright unless the copyright owner has surrendered the rights.

if its terrible quality chaquy or people walk by

They all do.