[PW] Re: copyright issues--PAL to NTSC

[Craig Miller]

True, I'm not citing chapter and verse.  But as someone who 
has worked in Hollywood for the last thirty years, and who, 
for part of that time, worked in licensing, I've had a rather 
extensive working acquiantence with copyright, in particular 
with DVDs and other home video.  I no longer receive the 
Entertainment Law Reporter every week but do know that 
the precedent for how and where you can use pre-recorded 
home video in the US comes from a California case where 
the state of California, and most specifically its prisons, 
was the defendant.  A state prison in Northern California 
was renting videos from a video rental store for the purpose 
of showing them to prisoners as recreation.  The courts 
found that this was not an acceptable usage and was in 
violation of the license granted when purchasing or renting 
copyrighted films.  Despite the fact that the prisoners were 
not in the prison at their own volition and were not there with 
the expectation of seeing any movies, let alone specific 
films, the use was beyond the allowable scope, as 
ejudicated by the court.  In your living room with your 
immediate family and circle of friends was the court's 
determination and it is the working rule to this day.

I realize that this mere rememberance of actual court rulings 
may not be up to certain people's standards but, I daresay, 
it's a bit more authoritative than any other comment made on 
this list as to what's a legal usage.  No one else has cited 
any sources.  But I guess when you don't like the answer, 
you have to attack the messenger.

Craig. 
 

At 03:00 PM 12/12/06 -0500, Peter wrote:
>Craig Miller wrote:
>> Craig is reporting the law.
>
>Craig is NOT "reporting the law." Craig is reporting his INTERPRETATION of
>the law, nothing more.
>
>There are no citations given, no references to journals or cases. Just
>another horseback opinion.
>
>Peter
>The Gorre and Daphetid Reminiscence Project
>http://www.gdlines.com
>Order now! ... Volumes Two through Five
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>
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>


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Craig Miller         Wolfmill Entertainment        craig at wolfmill.com
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