TechnoChitlins

Thief

The barking moonbats in the entertainment industry are in full bay, as noted by Kevin Michael Grace in the American Prowler- bq. It's playoff time again, so I'll be watching a lot of baseball on TV in the next few weeks. I'll take in a lot of ads but I'll also miss quite a few. I will, for example, take advantage of the commercial breaks to channel surf, stretch my legs, or grab something from the fridge. Does this make me a thief? Jamie Kellner, president and CEO of the WB Network, thinks so. May I go to the bathroom, Mr. Kellner? "I guess there's a certain amount of tolerance for going to the bathroom," Kellner told Cableworld last year. Phew! According to Kellner, "Your contract with the network when you get the show is, You're going to watch the spots." I don't recall signing any such contract. Do you? Perhaps the entertainment industry managed to slip it into the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), but I'm certain I would have heard about this. The other week, a Spectator columnist raised the possibility that the 60 million Americans who have downloaded music from the Internet are moral imbeciles. Which part of "thief" don't you understand? he asked. bq. Well, over the last 30 years I have purchased tens of thousands of dollars worth of CDs and DVDs. I always assumed that buying these products made me the owner of them. According to Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, I was mistaken. During a Washington Post online chat about the legality of consumers (like me) who make copies of CDs and DVDs for their personal use, he replied, "If you have a CD or a DVD in digital form, then you already have your personal copy." So now Jack Valenti is calling me a thief too. Emphasis above added by me. I have pretty much solved my personal issues with this- I no longer download music, AND I barely buy it any more. I used to buy 20-25 cds a year (and in years past many many more than that) but the combination of a total lack of talent on display and the RIAA's disgusting tactics has basically blown me off. I just will not participate. I wonder how many other people feel this way? RTWT here, and I bet you'll be as pissed as I am. Posted by maestro at October 10, 2003 11:52 AM | TrackBack