Even though it's the
excessively high cost of movie discs and audio CDs that breeds
piracy, we do fully understand why the film and music industries wish
to protect their assets from copying and unfair use. Even so, the trade
bodies that represent these industries never cease to amaze us with
their brazen cheek and insatiable greed.
The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and the RIAA
(Recording Industry Association of America) seem always to be trying to
outdo one another to show a face of capitalism even less
acceptable than the last one seen - leaving themselves wide open to
potshots from the likes of tech-humor site BBspot.
BBspot has a
wonderful
spoof story that purports to show that MPAA
has moved ahead in that race. According to the
scammed-up report, the MPAA is lobbying the US Congress to
make "unauthorized" home cinemas illegal.
Dan Glickman, top man at the MPAA - and a favourite BBs target - is
quoted as saying that home theatres need to be regulated
before things start getting too far out of control and pointing out
that,
We didn't act early enough
with the online sharing of our copyrighted content. This time we're not
making the same mistake. We have a right to know what's showing in a
theater.
A bill that the MPAA wants to get enacted, BBs says, would force makers
of home-cinema kit to factory-fit hardware that reports
directly to the association on what's being shown and who is watching
it!
And the MPAA is described as defining a home theater
as any home with a television larger than 29in with stereo
sound and at least two comfortable chairs, couch, or futon!
Worse, the MPAA wants everyone with a home
theater to pay it a $50 registration fee or face
fines of up to $500,000 per movie shown!
Totally unbelievable? Well, yes, but so, too, is the story being told
on
Recording
Industry vs The People.
This concerns a woman who has never used a computer having
been subpoenaed by the RIAA about a PC belonging to her adult
son who lives four miles away from her.
And that one, seemingly,
is true, as is the
follow-up
report that the RIAA's lawyer phoned the son's employer -
itself a law firm!
Thoughts on the fight against piracy? Be keen for you to share them
with us in
this
thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum.
HEXUS.links
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::
discussion
thread about this article
External.links
BBspot -
MPAA
Lobbying for Home Theater Regulations
BBspot -
about
Recording Industry vs The People -
RIAA
Subpoenas Ms. Lindor's Son's Computer
Recording Industry vs The People -
RIAA
Lawyer Admits He Called Ms. Lindor's Son's Employer
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HEXUS.community :: your right2reply
Quizzing him on the copyrighted issues this raises, it was made clear that the reason behind this download was pure convenience, rather than for saving money.
Why watch Lost on sky 1 which is a month behind, or Prison Break months behind? Over 10 shows a week he downloads, and he has now cancelled his subs for Sky as he no longer needs to watch it! Also, DVDs come out in the USA far sooner than in the UK, so convenience again, forces him to download it for free.
A 700MB file takes him less than 10mins to dl, a 350MB tv show, less than half that.
But its convenience! If the MPAA or the publishers of these materials want to stop this illegal activity then they have to compete with it not try to sue it!
They have a major issue with launch dates, its too restrictive using a country based system. TV shows and movies should be available the same day everywhere in the world if they want to completely end the need for this infringement. And if this is unworkable, then let the world outside of the USA have the pay-to-play facilities such as iTunes for shows and movies! Surely their advertising on site and on dl avi files can recoup lost revenues.
But no, they want their cake and eat it, so THAT is why this will never stop, it is not those downloaders that are too tight to pay for a dvd or movie ticket, its the publishers that want to protect their monopolies.Quote
I remember seeing a modified version of the antifilmpiracy short (the one with "you wouldn't steal.. .." which had a nice rundown of how the figures quoted by various anti-piracy groups are blown out of proportion and how their arguments don't really work - like the great "film/music piracy will decrease sales of licensed products" when sales of such products are still increasing fairly quickly.Quote
EMI said their lack of revenue was from dificult market conditions and a lack of strong (over hyped, run of the mill) titles.Quote
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