New Clean Video Suit Hits Hollywood

from the it-gets-worse-and-worse dept

al writes "Whenever i read about Hollywood these days in combo with software and lawsuit, crap is going to hit the fan. I doubt this is any different." The lawsuit in question is one filed by a softwware maker, Clear Play, against Hollywood. They're already being sued by Hollywood for making software that allows home users to edit scenes out of a movie to remove sex or "bad" language. This suit is a countersuit saying that the Hollywood studios are taking away people's fair use rights by not letting them use this software in the privacy of their own homes. They even point out that Hollywood is being particularly silly, because this software encourages more people to buy the original, unedited versions of their movies.
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  • identicon
    Greg Spira, 6 Jan 2003 @ 2:27pm

    No Subject Given

    While I'm not particularly sympathetic with their mission, I think Clean Flicks is in the right legally, unlike a lot of similar outfits which edit the tapes themselves and re-sell them.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Orion888, 7 Jan 2003 @ 10:54am

    ClearPlay

    ClearPlay effectively works like an automatic fast-forward/mute button, driven by filter files downloaded from their site at the consumers' choice and whim. The filters are basically automatic mute/fastforward buttons. Next, are the studios going to tell us consumers that we are creating "derivative works" by using our mute buttons or fastforwarding past parts we don't want to see? How idiotic. The act of the consumer using ClearPlay (or his mute button) does not create any *distibuted* derivative work of any kind. ClearPlay is clearly in the right.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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