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Congressional Debate Over DVD Content Cleaning System
from the ah,-copyright-issues... dept
While there are already lawsuits going on over the technology, that didn't stop a bunch of Congress critters from grandstanding about the latest pointless copyright issue to impact Hollywood: should technology that automatically filters out "objectionable" content in DVDs be legal? Unfortunately, from the article it doesn't sound like anyone took the obvious position that there should be absolutely nothing wrong with people watching a movie they bought however they want within the privacy of their own home. DVD players already let people skip around to specific scenes. How is this technology really any different? Instead, the defenders of the technology talked about "protecting children" which is absolutely besides the point. Meanwhile, the Representative from Disney, Howard Berman, who will never take a position that Hollywood doesn't support, continues to make himself look pitiful by saying things like: "I do not believe Congress should give companies the right to alter, distort and mutilate creative works, or to sell otherwise-infringing products that do functionally the same thing. I believe such legislation would be an affront to the artistic freedom of creators." Ah, yes, because all creators start from scratch, both on paper and in the minds of artists, and there's never ever been a creative piece of work that has been built on the ability to "alter, distort or mutilate" the works of others. After all, Berman's favorite backers, Disney, came up with the very original ideas for Steamboat Willie, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Robin Hood and all those other Disney creations that... oh wait, were actually based on altering, distorting and (some would claim) mutilating the creations of earlier artists.
Reader Comments
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No Subject Given
What I want is technology that will show the original version of a movie, no matter what George Lucas has done to ruin it since the theatrical release.
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Don't watch the damn movie !
You know, if the viewers find these movies so damn offensive to begin with then perhaps they shouldn't watch them @ all ... filtered or NON filtered ...
I find the 700 club bigoted & narrow minded but I sure as hell don't watch it while covering my ears when I hear something I don't like just because I believe in a higher power.
Hypocrites
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Won't someone please think of the children!
I don't blame the defenders from trying to play up how it will protect children. This is a much easy way to get their products blessed by the Congress than to explain why what they are doing is just fair use and people should be allowed to do what they wish with a product they bought.
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No Subject Given
While I think folks who use this technology are misguided - just don't let children watch the movies in question; there's plety of info on the web at sites like screenit.com to check what's appropriate - this technology does not actually change the content, so I think it's legal.
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parents are idiots
Somebody has to watch out for the kids because parents sure don't. When "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" came out I was astonished how many parents were there with young children, and I mean six and seven year olds. Didn't these people have a clue what they were taking their kids to? Just because it was animated didn't make it a kiddie movie.
Of course my all-time favorite hypocricy was when I saw "Starship Troopers" and with all the carnage of bodies being ripped to shreds and having their brains sucked out etc... and yet when they had the shower scene with some brief nudity the woman next to me put her hand over her son's eyes so he wouldn't be scarred by a little frontal nudity.
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