ab3@pucc-h (Darth Wombat) (01/18/84)
...and by a narrow margin, at that: 5-4. Jack Valenti,
self-appointed spokesperson for the movie industry, was heard this morning
on CBS radio complaining that "The Japanese have deceived the American
public...who are smarter than they think." Now, outside of the pearls
of wisdom contained in that quote, one wonders just what is on Valenti's
mind; is he *really* interested in seeing the proceeds from VCR and
videocassette sales go to the artist; or, like all middlemen, is he just
a money-grubbing slimeball who wants a piece of the action?
Quite honestly, I wonder if he's realized that most of the output
of Hollywood these days, both tv and movies, isn't *worth* taping.
--
"Go ahead...make my day."
Darth Wombat
{ allegra, decvax, ihnp4, harpo, seismo, teklabs, ucbvax } !pur-ee!rskkarn@allegra.UUCP (01/19/84)
Yes, Jack Valenti certainly has been making the rounds. He is quite angry that he can't have his cake and eat it too. I'm curious to know what will happen next. Let's say Jack has his way with Congress, who legislates a $100/vcr and $1/tape tax, payable to the "motion picture industry", whatever that is. Since when does the government serve as a "tax" revenue collection agency for a private business? What if I go to court and say that I never watch broadcast TV, that I bought my VCR and tapes just to record my 1 year old daughter as she babbles across the room (assuming of course that I HAD a daughter...)? By the kind of logic Mr. Valenti uses, I'm "stealing" every day from the big, benevolent TV producers because I almost never spend my money on things advertised on TV. The battle isn't won yet. I suggest that people who feel strongly about this issue write their congressmen, since they are certainly going to hear about this issue from those you may not agree with. Phil
martin@dciem.UUCP (Martin Tuori) (01/20/84)
Supreme court rules on VCRs
Bully for the U.S. Supreme Court! The situation in Canada is not as clear,
yet, but I hope a similar decision will follow. I've felt for some time
that a thing broadcast is a thing given away. If a religious crusader
on the street hands me a handbill, I accept it as a free gift. If I want
to discard it in a trash bin, wipe my nose with it, or save it and show
it to my friends (at no profit to me), then it's none of the originator's
business. If a movie vendor wants to make money on a product in the TV
market, s/he does so by selling rights to broadcasters. The broadcaster
in turn sells rights to advertisers. Neither has any contract with me,
and I shouldn't be held to contract terms that the vendor, broadcaster,
or advertiser thinks should be implied.
Martin Tuori
{allegra,decvax,duke,floyd,linus}!utzoo!dciem!martin
--
Martin Tuori
{allegra,decvax,duke,floyd,linus}!utzoo!dciem!martin