Schiavo Redux: * Signs DVD Sanitization Bill To Help A Single Entity

[stopbush]

Shades of the Sciavo law. Remember when laws were written to apply to all?

Apr 27, 11:20 AM EDT

Bush Signs Bill to Let Parents Strip DVDs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at helping parents keep their children from seeing sex scenes, violence and foul language in movie DVDs.

The bill gives legal protections to the fledgling filtering technology that helps parents automatically skip or mute sections of commercial movie DVDs. Bush signed it privately and without comment, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

The legislation came about because Hollywood studios and directors had sued to stop the manufacture and distribution of such electronic devices for DVD players. The movies' creators had argued that changing the content - even when it is considered offensive - would violate their copyrights. The legislation, called the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, creates an exemption in copyright laws to make sure companies selling filtering technology won't get sued out of existence.

Critics of the bill have argued it was aimed at helping one company, Utah-based ClearPlay Inc., whose technology is used in some DVD players. ClearPlay sells filters for hundreds of movies that can be added to such DVD players for $4.95 each month. Hollywood executives maintain that ClearPlay should pay them licensing fees for altering their creative efforts.

More here:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH_SANITIZING_HOLLYWOOD?SITE=NVLAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Shallah Kali]

1. If these movies are so bad why to these people want to support them?

If they are so offensive why are they going to let the movie companies make a single $ off them? I don't get it.


Also if this bill is for the benefit of one entity does that not automatically make it unconstitutional and void it?

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Exactly

This law is nonsense. If you don't like it DON'T BUY IT!!! Doy! Let your children grow up and get a job and pay for it themselves. And they admitted it was for one company in the article.

[EC]

3. Shit, I thought these guys just loved the POWER OF THE

OPEN MARKET, if they don't want their kids to see the films, don't buy them and let hollywood decide rather to curb sex scenes or not by their sales...It seems that open market, without regulations isn't what they are for?

[doubleplusgood]

4. does this technology work on the Bible, too ?

Can't have kids reading about genocide, homosexuality, cannibalism, decapitation, torture, murder...it's all in the Bible.

[Zynx]

5. *watches Hollywood sue over this law as well*

Another thing a Democratic President needs to repeal.

[cheezus]

6. this may be GOOD

giving people rights to edit and mashup copyrighted works