Hollywood vs. Your PC
There’s an interesting article on PC World’s Web site today explaining the reasons why Hollywood is trying to control your PC (or you Mac). It’s a complex, political issue with more ramifications than we can imagine. The article includes a chart that lists what we’re actually allowed to do with digital media. I doubt you’ve all been very nervous about respecting the laws with your MP3s and DVDs, but it’s interesting to see the possible « crimes » listed in such a clear way.
There’s also a section on the history of copyright. It’s funny to remember that back in 1908, sheet music publishers filed suits against publishers of player-piano rolls who were making a killing selling recordings of popular tunes, without paying composers a dime. And in 1984, The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Universal Studios’ lawsuit against Sony, which had contended that Sony’s VCRs allowed copyright infringement by giving « monsieur et madame tout le monde » the ability to make copies of their own movies. In the meantime the court case opposing the TV networks vs the maker of tv recorder ReplayTV, and its commercial-skipping button, is still pending. (See also Technophobia over the years).
Speaking of TV recorders, has anybody tried Bell ExpressVu’s new Personal Video Recorder? After years of waiting, the technology is finally available in Canada, yet I’m wondering if it’s not too late. Will HP’s Media Center PC (available at the end of the month) render these types of TV recorders obsolete?
