The Movie & Music Industries Need to Get Smarter

June 30th, 2009

This blog entry will not be a review about the movie Get Smart, although my experiences with watching the movie and trying to LEGALLY put it on my laptop have shown me something about the movie distributors, production company, the movie industry and its studios, or whoever.

In the last year or so, it’s become more common place, depending on the movie studio, to release DVDs with a legal ‘digital copy’ of a movie to put on your computer or media playing device, provided you go online or through their instructions, and usually provide a password or code they give you in the packaging of the DVD. But the basic idea is if you buy the DVD, you have a legal and “easy” way of putting the file on your computer without having to rip the disc or download the movie from a file sharing program.  A great solution the movie industry thought it had to the whole file sharing and piracy problem, right?

I travel a lot and like having my movies and CDs on my laptop and/or possibly my iPod, and the ‘backups’ are in boxes in my parents’ basement in Canada.  Being on long flights, and many churches increasingly creating video podcasts of their sermons, such a device was also convenient for that purpose. I’ve even gotten in the habit of renting movies in iTunes before going on a long flight, bus or train ride, or just when I’m going to be traveling or doing something that puts a lot of time on my hands.

Well, I come to find that in order to get the digital copy one has to use Windows Media Player, because the movie studio doesn’t co-operate with Apple or iTunes, and I own a MacBook. Now, I know I’m in the minority and that more people use Microsoft-based computers than Apple MacIntosh computers, but to the best of my knowledge, iPod devices and the iPhone make up over 70% of the total market for mp3 players and media sharing devices (this might even be a conservative estimate—I’ve heard much higher). The Microsoft Zune hasn’t even had an accumulated total number of units sold (in over 2 years) of just how many iPods Apple has in the last financial quarter of 2008 alone–for just one competitor’s example.

My point is this: if the big wigs at movie studios want to stop piracy, and have people legitimately buy or legally put their own property (the DVD) on a media playing device, why not give them the option of allowing it to be compatible with whatever device the consumer owns, instead of the one the studio determines? I realize competitiveness and the free market are at play in this situation, but still, this matter is quite stupid, because the very problem they’re trying to solve, they’re actually creating when consumers don’t use the software or the device they’ve made their digital copy compatible with.

What?  I can’t get the digital copy from my DVD of The Dark Knight?  Fine, I’ll just go to bit torrent to get it.

This causes many to go download programs from off the ‘net and just rip the DVD to their hard drive in mp4 format compatible with iPods.

I recently rented Get Smart (a very funny movie) on iTunes, and watched it to relax after work one night before going to bed. I enjoyed it (and recommend it since it was clean and almost no cussing or suggestive stuff, and it was FUNNY as heck). I suggested it to my brother the next day–we both were working together at the same place of employment. He gave me the idea to buy the DVD for him for Christmas, so I picked the one out from Future Shop that had a digital copy for a few dollars more than the normal edition, so I also could benefit from legally owning it as well.  In this case, the digital copy was compatible with iTunes, and with the 2nd disc and a connection to the internet one can download the video to their movie library in under five minutes if they have an iTunes account. This was a smart move on this movie supplier’s side to increase the ease with which consumers can access the digital copy should they want to. However, the DVD my brother bought for me for Christmas–The Dark Knight–is not compatible with iTunes or Apple despite being released by the same DVD supplier. *Sigh*

Why can’t ALL the movie industries out there ‘get smart’ about how they solve the problem of file sharing, torrents, and movie piracy by offering a solution that the average law abiding consumer will WANT to cooperate with, instead of making it so difficult and creating the rules for what devices and media players one has to already have in order to benefit from the digital copy on the disc?

I try abiding by their rules and legalities, but they make it so ridiculous and almost impossible to do the right thing (or just the thing they want) –it’s no wonder many people just go to file sharing and piracy to obtain the movies they’d like to watch! By the way, despite my ranting, it’s worth letting you know that the only movies on my laptop are ones that I’ve purchased in DVD form or had given to me, and the music I listen to is all purchased or from CDs or iTunes gift cards given to me. I’ve run into the same type of snag with the DRM on songs I’ve purchased online in that I can’t make mix mp3 CDs to listen to on my mp3 ghetto blaster at work.

I appreciate the effort the movie industries, and even the recording industry are trying to make, but it’s really ridiculous, and they need to get smarter about how they want the consumer to play along. I’ve gone and downloaded software to allow me to listen to music I PAID for, the way I want to–that removes the DRM on my songs, and I’ve decided to just resort to ripping DVDs to my computer since less than 1/3 of the DVDs I’ve bought, or had given to me, in the last year are compatible with the devices I use to legally watch them.

I’m sorry movie and music industry, but I’ve played by your rules and you need to get smart if you want most of society to abide by them. I’m sure I speak for many others when I say I’m getting tired of them…

Read more

Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

Cease & Desist Letters, Threat Letters and Notice of Infringement Letters - What You Need to Know

June 29th, 2009

A trademark or domain name threat letter is basically what it sounds like. It’s a letter or a sometimes an email from an alleged trademark owner with a threat to take legal action if you do not stop using their trademark registration, domain name, etc.

Read more

Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

The Movie & Music Industries Need to Get Smarter

June 28th, 2009

This blog entry will not be a review about the movie Get Smart, although my experiences with watching the movie and trying to LEGALLY put it on my laptop have shown me something about the movie distributors, production company, the movie industry and its studios, or whoever.

In the last year or so, it’s become more common place, depending on the movie studio, to release DVDs with a legal ‘digital copy’ of a movie to put on your computer or media playing device, provided you go online or through their instructions, and usually provide a password or code they give you in the packaging of the DVD. But the basic idea is if you buy the DVD, you have a legal and “easy” way of putting the file on your computer without having to rip the disc or download the movie from a file sharing program.  A great solution the movie industry thought it had to the whole file sharing and piracy problem, right?

I travel a lot and like having my movies and CDs on my laptop and/or possibly my iPod, and the ‘backups’ are in boxes in my parents’ basement in Canada.  Being on long flights, and many churches increasingly creating video podcasts of their sermons, such a device was also convenient for that purpose. I’ve even gotten in the habit of renting movies in iTunes before going on a long flight, bus or train ride, or just when I’m going to be traveling or doing something that puts a lot of time on my hands.

Well, I come to find that in order to get the digital copy one has to use Windows Media Player, because the movie studio doesn’t co-operate with Apple or iTunes, and I own a MacBook. Now, I know I’m in the minority and that more people use Microsoft-based computers than Apple MacIntosh computers, but to the best of my knowledge, iPod devices and the iPhone make up over 70% of the total market for mp3 players and media sharing devices (this might even be a conservative estimate—I’ve heard much higher). The Microsoft Zune hasn’t even had an accumulated total number of units sold (in over 2 years) of just how many iPods Apple has in the last financial quarter of 2008 alone–for just one competitor’s example.

My point is this: if the big wigs at movie studios want to stop piracy, and have people legitimately buy or legally put their own property (the DVD) on a media playing device, why not give them the option of allowing it to be compatible with whatever device the consumer owns, instead of the one the studio determines? I realize competitiveness and the free market are at play in this situation, but still, this matter is quite stupid, because the very problem they’re trying to solve, they’re actually creating when consumers don’t use the software or the device they’ve made their digital copy compatible with.

What?  I can’t get the digital copy from my DVD of The Dark Knight?  Fine, I’ll just go to bit torrent to get it.

This causes many to go download programs from off the ‘net and just rip the DVD to their hard drive in mp4 format compatible with iPods.

I recently rented Get Smart (a very funny movie) on iTunes, and watched it to relax after work one night before going to bed. I enjoyed it (and recommend it since it was clean and almost no cussing or suggestive stuff, and it was FUNNY as heck). I suggested it to my brother the next day–we both were working together at the same place of employment. He gave me the idea to buy the DVD for him for Christmas, so I picked the one out from Future Shop that had a digital copy for a few dollars more than the normal edition, so I also could benefit from legally owning it as well.  In this case, the digital copy was compatible with iTunes, and with the 2nd disc and a connection to the internet one can download the video to their movie library in under five minutes if they have an iTunes account. This was a smart move on this movie supplier’s side to increase the ease with which consumers can access the digital copy should they want to. However, the DVD my brother bought for me for Christmas–The Dark Knight–is not compatible with iTunes or Apple despite being released by the same DVD supplier. *Sigh*

Why can’t ALL the movie industries out there ‘get smart’ about how they solve the problem of file sharing, torrents, and movie piracy by offering a solution that the average law abiding consumer will WANT to cooperate with, instead of making it so difficult and creating the rules for what devices and media players one has to already have in order to benefit from the digital copy on the disc?

I try abiding by their rules and legalities, but they make it so ridiculous and almost impossible to do the right thing (or just the thing they want) –it’s no wonder many people just go to file sharing and piracy to obtain the movies they’d like to watch! By the way, despite my ranting, it’s worth letting you know that the only movies on my laptop are ones that I’ve purchased in DVD form or had given to me, and the music I listen to is all purchased or from CDs or iTunes gift cards given to me. I’ve run into the same type of snag with the DRM on songs I’ve purchased online in that I can’t make mix mp3 CDs to listen to on my mp3 ghetto blaster at work.

I appreciate the effort the movie industries, and even the recording industry are trying to make, but it’s really ridiculous, and they need to get smarter about how they want the consumer to play along. I’ve gone and downloaded software to allow me to listen to music I PAID for, the way I want to–that removes the DRM on my songs, and I’ve decided to just resort to ripping DVDs to my computer since less than 1/3 of the DVDs I’ve bought, or had given to me, in the last year are compatible with the devices I use to legally watch them.

I’m sorry movie and music industry, but I’ve played by your rules and you need to get smart if you want most of society to abide by them. I’m sure I speak for many others when I say I’m getting tired of them…

Read more

Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

Cease & Desist Letters, Threat Letters and Notice of Infringement Letters - What You Need to Know

June 27th, 2009

A trademark or domain name threat letter is basically what it sounds like. It’s a letter or a sometimes an email from an alleged trademark owner with a threat to take legal action if you do not stop using their trademark registration, domain name, etc.

Read more

Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

The Movie & Music Industries Need to Get Smarter

June 26th, 2009

This blog entry will not be a review about the movie Get Smart, although my experiences with watching the movie and trying to LEGALLY put it on my laptop have shown me something about the movie distributors, production company, the movie industry and its studios, or whoever.

In the last year or so, it’s become more common place, depending on the movie studio, to release DVDs with a legal ‘digital copy’ of a movie to put on your computer or media playing device, provided you go online or through their instructions, and usually provide a password or code they give you in the packaging of the DVD. But the basic idea is if you buy the DVD, you have a legal and “easy” way of putting the file on your computer without having to rip the disc or download the movie from a file sharing program.  A great solution the movie industry thought it had to the whole file sharing and piracy problem, right?

I travel a lot and like having my movies and CDs on my laptop and/or possibly my iPod, and the ‘backups’ are in boxes in my parents’ basement in Canada.  Being on long flights, and many churches increasingly creating video podcasts of their sermons, such a device was also convenient for that purpose. I’ve even gotten in the habit of renting movies in iTunes before going on a long flight, bus or train ride, or just when I’m going to be traveling or doing something that puts a lot of time on my hands.

Well, I come to find that in order to get the digital copy one has to use Windows Media Player, because the movie studio doesn’t co-operate with Apple or iTunes, and I own a MacBook. Now, I know I’m in the minority and that more people use Microsoft-based computers than Apple MacIntosh computers, but to the best of my knowledge, iPod devices and the iPhone make up over 70% of the total market for mp3 players and media sharing devices (this might even be a conservative estimate—I’ve heard much higher). The Microsoft Zune hasn’t even had an accumulated total number of units sold (in over 2 years) of just how many iPods Apple has in the last financial quarter of 2008 alone–for just one competitor’s example.

My point is this: if the big wigs at movie studios want to stop piracy, and have people legitimately buy or legally put their own property (the DVD) on a media playing device, why not give them the option of allowing it to be compatible with whatever device the consumer owns, instead of the one the studio determines? I realize competitiveness and the free market are at play in this situation, but still, this matter is quite stupid, because the very problem they’re trying to solve, they’re actually creating when consumers don’t use the software or the device they’ve made their digital copy compatible with.

What?  I can’t get the digital copy from my DVD of The Dark Knight?  Fine, I’ll just go to bit torrent to get it.

This causes many to go download programs from off the ‘net and just rip the DVD to their hard drive in mp4 format compatible with iPods.

I recently rented Get Smart (a very funny movie) on iTunes, and watched it to relax after work one night before going to bed. I enjoyed it (and recommend it since it was clean and almost no cussing or suggestive stuff, and it was FUNNY as heck). I suggested it to my brother the next day–we both were working together at the same place of employment. He gave me the idea to buy the DVD for him for Christmas, so I picked the one out from Future Shop that had a digital copy for a few dollars more than the normal edition, so I also could benefit from legally owning it as well.  In this case, the digital copy was compatible with iTunes, and with the 2nd disc and a connection to the internet one can download the video to their movie library in under five minutes if they have an iTunes account. This was a smart move on this movie supplier’s side to increase the ease with which consumers can access the digital copy should they want to. However, the DVD my brother bought for me for Christmas–The Dark Knight–is not compatible with iTunes or Apple despite being released by the same DVD supplier. *Sigh*

Why can’t ALL the movie industries out there ‘get smart’ about how they solve the problem of file sharing, torrents, and movie piracy by offering a solution that the average law abiding consumer will WANT to cooperate with, instead of making it so difficult and creating the rules for what devices and media players one has to already have in order to benefit from the digital copy on the disc?

I try abiding by their rules and legalities, but they make it so ridiculous and almost impossible to do the right thing (or just the thing they want) –it’s no wonder many people just go to file sharing and piracy to obtain the movies they’d like to watch! By the way, despite my ranting, it’s worth letting you know that the only movies on my laptop are ones that I’ve purchased in DVD form or had given to me, and the music I listen to is all purchased or from CDs or iTunes gift cards given to me. I’ve run into the same type of snag with the DRM on songs I’ve purchased online in that I can’t make mix mp3 CDs to listen to on my mp3 ghetto blaster at work.

I appreciate the effort the movie industries, and even the recording industry are trying to make, but it’s really ridiculous, and they need to get smarter about how they want the consumer to play along. I’ve gone and downloaded software to allow me to listen to music I PAID for, the way I want to–that removes the DRM on my songs, and I’ve decided to just resort to ripping DVDs to my computer since less than 1/3 of the DVDs I’ve bought, or had given to me, in the last year are compatible with the devices I use to legally watch them.

I’m sorry movie and music industry, but I’ve played by your rules and you need to get smart if you want most of society to abide by them. I’m sure I speak for many others when I say I’m getting tired of them…

Read more

Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

Violation of Copyright Law - 1957

June 25th, 2009

The Indian Copyright Law under the Indian Copyright of 1957 is the true manifestation of the Berne Convention of Copyrights, of which India is an active member. Moreover, India is also a dynamic member of World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva. The act was put in place in 1957 by the government of India to protect the interest of pioneers and dreamers.

The Indian Copyright Law of 1957 bans the reproduction of a previously written artistic material or performance rights without prior consent of the owner. The law clearly states that the owner has the sole right on his copyright. The law not only protects works of art from ‘theft’ but also protects dramatic, artistic and musical works along with cinematography films and sound recording.

The use of ‘available material’ without sanction of author for personal profit is illegal and this act breaks the copyright law 1957. There are special copyright attorneys in India that can help you in the case of any possible violation. Violation of copyright law 1957 is an offense and is punished likewise. However there are some cases where the law cannot be enforced. If the theme is the same, but it is presented as a new work with no reference to the original one, there is no violation of the law.

You will get the best results if you take help, in case of any violation, of trained copyright lawyers. Moreover there are a number of agencies in India offering copyright services, and can help you in case of any breach of intellectual property. Many pioneers create a copyright management system in which they protect their online data using passwords and registration. However be careful that you hire a reputed Indian attorney for your work.

Read more

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Terminator Lawsuit

June 24th, 2009

While most of the people see only one side of the movies there is actually lot of that can be found if you look deeper. A recent lawsuit revolved around the popular Terminator franchise. Terminator two was the movie that became Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most successful role up to date and gave him immense popularity that finally helped him to become the governor of California. Also this move launched a huge and profitable franchise. The gross revenues of the four terminator movies right now are over $1.600 million dollars. The last movie Terminator Salvation which had hit the cinemas on 21 of May in the United States and in the beginning of June worldwide already covered its $200 million dollar budget in the first weeks and now the studio is planning two more sequels. Of course it is not the most economically successful franchise today, but the cult following of the earlier movies and the huge interest for the last movie - Terminator Salvation, shows that it can still bring profit.

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Immunity For Internet Service Providers Under the Communications Decency Act (CDA)

June 23rd, 2009

What happens when a third party end-user posts defamatory or copyright infringing content on your website? On February 1, 1996, the United States Congress passed the Communications Decency Act (CDA) as an amendment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Under the CDA, an Internet Service Providers (ISP) are provided an exclusion from certain liability for information published by others. The computer service provider is afforded a certain level of immunity under law for information which originates with third party users of the service. Three factors are typically analyzed in determining whether or not a computer service provider is afforded section 230 protection. The first is whether or not the website owner is a provider of an “interactive computer service.” The second is whether or not the allegedly actionable content are entered into the system by someone other than the website owner. The third is whether or not the website owner can be considered a publisher or speaker of the third party content. In determining whether or not the website operator can be held accountable for the third party content depends on the degree of involvement and the design of the software which allowed the actionable content to be uploaded.

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Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

Violation of Copyright Law 1957

June 22nd, 2009

The Indian Copyright Law under the Indian Copyright of 1957 is the true manifestation of the Berne Convention of Copyrights, of which India is an active member. Moreover, India is also a dynamic member of World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva. The act was put in place in 1957 by the government of India to protect the interest of pioneers and dreamers.

The Indian Copyright Law of 1957 bans the reproduction of a previously written artistic material or performance rights without prior consent of the owner. The law clearly states that the owner has the sole right on his copyright. The law not only protects works of art from ‘theft’ but also protects dramatic, artistic and musical works along with cinematography films and sound recording.

The use of ‘available material’ without sanction of author for personal profit is illegal and this act breaks the copyright law 1957. There are special copyright attorneys in India that can help you in the case of any possible violation. Violation of copyright law 1957 is an offense and is punished likewise. However there are some cases where the law cannot be enforced. If the theme is the same, but it is presented as a new work with no reference to the original one, there is no violation of the law.

You will get the best results if you take help, in case of any violation, of trained copyright lawyers. Moreover there are a number of agencies in India offering copyright services, and can help you in case of any breach of intellectual property. Many pioneers create a copyright management system in which they protect their online data using passwords and registration. However be careful that you hire a reputed Indian attorney for your work.

Read more

Posted in Copyright Definition | No Comments »

Copyright Information - Make Money With Expired Copyrights

June 21st, 2009

There are a lot of ways to make money on the World Wide Web that a lot of internet users from different parts of the globe are currently engaged in different fields of eCommerce. They can be lucrative, well-known businesses or small yet manageable means of making money online. Any of these can be an option that the person can opt for to be able to earn on the sides aside from the normal 9 to 5 jobs that he or she are employed to every single day. For this article, the idea of making money through expired copyrights will be discussed as this is a possible though normally misunderstood sideline that people adopt when on the web.

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