FCC nears vote on TV 'broadcast flag'

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Nope! Not just a loss of "piracy"

1) Most network shows appear on the open airwaves and anyone with a VCR can pop in a tape and make a copy now.

2) There IS a question of whether legitimite copying (time/date shifting) will be affected. There is a real possibililty that the technology will prevent the casual taping that most people do, such as soap operas, two shows on at the same time, etc.. No more taping "Survivor 986-Kansas City" to watch later while you watch the football game.

3) Digital TV rollout has very little to do with pirating and everything to do with incredibly high conversion costs. That means that even the local access stations have to convert their equipment to broadcast in HDTV. There are also conflicting standards in the home equipment. The idea is that in 2007, we will all have to buy new TVs or pricy convertors to watch even the most mundane programming. Right now, even the HDTV-ready units require some sort of extra box to get the signals.

4) Apparently, digital is not out of the question now. DirecTV, DISH network, digital cable exist now and there hasn't been all that much screaming about piracy for those services, now has there? What about TiVo? Or hooking a digital tuner directly to one's PC, which can be made to act like TiVo?

The original meaning of the term "pirate" had to do with the conscious stealing of other's property FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF MAKING A MONETARY GAIN! The real pirates are not so much those sharing their taped copies of "Friends" so much as the *darling* folks in many countries that make professional-grade copies of all sorts of media (music, film, TV, software) and sell them on the open market with little more than a slap on the wrist if caught.

It's the money changing hands for a clearly copyrighted item that makes it illegal. But then, taping a show from your digital cable would make you a "pirate," wouldn't it, since you paid the cable bill?

"Fair use" is the correct term for copying/sharing without attempting to seek or make a profit.

Posted by: AbsolutelyNot   Posted on: 10/28/03 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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