How do I save a DVD I own to my iPad without using the disc each time?

You can rip DVDs to your MacPro with a DVD ripping software like handbrake, makemkv, or cisdem video converter, and then transfer to iPad. I used to help my grandma rip her wedding videos.

Jimcsoppu wrote:

I figured, but as the author has now passed the copyright has expired.

Copyright doesn't expire just because the author died. For works created on or after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the author's lifetime plus an additional 70 years. 

But it's not even the copyright that's the priimary issue. It's the encryption. If the DVD is encrypted, it's illegal to try to circumvent that.

It's indeed frustrating. Orphaned works are becoming a bigger and bigger problem across media types.

If the dvd was not copy protected, you could use a program such as Handbrake to rip the dvd and convert it to mp4 video.

Since it is protected by DRM we can’t help you break the DRM encryption and copy it.

Did you try to use the Files folder to sync the content to iCloud and then open the Files folder on your iPad to access the data?

Organize files and folders in iCloud Drive on iCloud.com - Apple Support

iOS/iPadOS fundamentally does not support connection of any optical media drives - including the Apple SuperDrive. As such, direct access to optical media (CD, DVD, BD) from iPad is not possible.

You’ll need to access this optical media using another computer, such as PC or Mac.

If the DVD in question is a commercial product, not produced privately, it is likely copy protected. As such we are no permitted to discuss how to rip said DVD to a playable file on your computer. That would get us in trouble.

There are ways to do it, we can’t tell you how.

If only there was an online source of information that was accessible by the common man.

a kind of catalog of online material where you could search for terms and find answers.

If only such a thing existed.