Re: Asimov helps users and battles piracy!

[pfg@cs.rmit.edu.au (Paul Francis Gilbert)]

mattack@area.com (Matt Ackeret) writes:

>Making *copies* of TV shows for other people (or loaning for the purpose of
>making copies) is illegal..  But loaning the "original"  (original as in
>the one you taped off broadcast) to someone else...  That would seem to be
>perfectly legal, knowing about the other analogous rulings.
>-- 
>mattack@area.com

I'd be carefull about this. As I understand, under many countries laws,
[as Nathan pointed out], taping something off the tv and keeping it for
more than two weeks is illegal. In fact I remember hearing a few years ago
in another copyright debate that in some counties it was illegal to watch
a taped program more than once (ie. vcr recording was only legal to tape
something and watch it later, then delete it).

Considering how restrictive those sorts of laws are, it wouldn't suprise me
that even borrowing a tape to a friend is illegal as well. [Remember that
it can't be considered analogous to lending a friend a piece of software
(which in fact is legally dubious in some counties as well ;-) ), since for
the vcr taping there's no license agreement involved].

When you get right down to it, most of us [yes, even holier-than-thou-lets-
slander-people-and-call-them-pirates Mates] are guilty of breaking a slew of
minor laws every day that we're not even aware of. I know I'm probably guilty
of jaywalking every day, and that's just one law of many.


--
Paul Gilbert           | pfg@yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au (The DreamMaster)
Bach App Sci, Bach Eng | The opinions expressed are my own, all my own, and
Year 5, RMIT Melbourne | as such will contain no references to small furry
Australia	       | creatures from Alpha Centauri.