Should It Be Illegal To Watch Porn In Your Car?
from the public-performance? dept
A few weeks ago, while on a long drive with some friends, we got stuck in traffic behind a modified Hummer with multiple video screens (including an illegal one in the front seat - since it's illegal to have a video screen that the driver can see in California). The mother in the front seat seemed to be watching an old black and white movie, but we spent most of our time trying to figure out which cartoon movie the kids were watching in the back. This is what you do when stuck in traffic behind a vehicle that blocks just about everything else out of sight. However, it seems that some people have noticed that it isn't always cartoons for kids in the back seat, but pornography on the in-car video screens, and they're so upset that they're trying to get laws passed to ban in-car pornography. They're even talking about jail-time as punishment. So, this raises some interesting questions. Clearly, the in-car DVD screen is only intended for people within the car - yet, others on the road are seeing it. Would this count as a "public performance"? Should the movie industry be going after these people as well for showing these DVDs without permission? The folks pushing for the laws concerning porn in cars are saying it's a public performance "outside the home", so wouldn't that apply to any movie?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Cultural Convergence?
People used to complain about excessively tasteless Japanese cartoons too, but that has converged as well.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Cultural Convergence?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Cultural Convergence?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
Maybe the easier solution is require any vehicle with in-car video to have tinted windows.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Debbie does Driving
I'm always mindful of what movies I play on my Laptop when I am in public spaces. I generally try to make sure I am watching nothing more than a PG13 movie ( usually I have old Nick @ Nite reruns ) and I generally have the sound turned off and the captioning on.
Although I don't believe in censorship, I think people need to take an attitude of respect towards one another and think about what they have playing in public places.
This includes public roads.
If you want to drive down the street with porno playing, fine.
Blackout your windows.
Frankly, your hands oughta be on the steering wheel and not fiddling with the controls or body parts.
Do we need yet another law to restrict our freedoms ?
How about common courtesy ?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
common courtesy
But ... common courtesy is a flimsy line of defense. The bigger the city, the less the courtesy you're likely to enjoy from others. I've encountered a number of drivers who think it's entirely appropriate--amusing, even--to break traffic laws in order to keep me from using the crosswalk in front of them; can I really expect someone like that to keep his porn to himself? What it gets down to is portable video is making one's viewing choices public, and if a community's laws don't already address that situation they'll need to be revised accordingly.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Chrome Titty Flaps
The Chrome Tittie Flaps are both bad taste and criminal ... ;-}
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Remember X-rated Drive-in Screens
Note that shops selling x-rated material usually do not display their most extreme images in the store window to the general public.
I use to rent videos from a video store whose x-rated rack was right out in the open, where young kids could see the sticky pictures on the covers. It was a small store with a small X collection, but I was really puzzled they were allowed to do this.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Remember X-rated Drive-in Screens
Note to self - get patent on this item...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Remember X-rated Drive-in Screens
> blocked outside the vehicle.
Polorized glass on the monitor one way and polorized glass on the car going another (a similar schemes was proposed for high-beam lights). I don't think it would be patentable, but Mike would disagree :-)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Remember X-rated Drive-in Screens
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
I mean, c'mon...wait til you get home!!! Geezz....have SOME self-control!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
pr()n
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Living in your car?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Its disgusting, degrating, perverted and it is an influence to rapists, and affairs.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jasmine
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
it's stupid
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
illegal porn in cars
[ link to this | view in chronology ]