--- Forwarded Message from Judy Shoaf <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 11:34:02 -0400
>From: Judy Shoaf <[log in to unmask]>
>User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.1)
Gecko/20040707
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7859 DVD restrictions
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>

I just finished writing a column for the next issue of the IALLT Journal
on the subject, after doing a bit of investigating on the subject of the
various policies around our campus. Everyone seems to agree it's a bad
law.  When it was brought up before the Copyright Office in 2003 as a
possible situation where harm was being done by the DMCA restrictions
(in a request that that class of restrictions should be abolished), the
office concluded that no harm is being done, evidently because most
people figure out how to get around the restrictions anyway.... 's crazy.

See the article by Jeff Clark in the Winter 2004 issue of the Consortium
of College and University Media Centers Leader, available in pdf format
online at http://www.ccumc.org/pubs/leader.html (pp. 20-21).

Judy Shoaf

LLTI-Editor wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from Scott Williams <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
>
>>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>>Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 17:14:17 -0600
>>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
>
> <[log in to unmask]>
>
>>From: Scott Williams <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: DVD restrictions
>
>
> Hi everybody,
>
> I would like to start a discussion about DVD zone restrictions and
> copyright infringment. Specifically, to what extent does the manner
> in which the film industry carves up the world into regions,
> incompatible with each other, constitute undo restriction of access?
>
> I DO NOT, however, want this to be a whine fest. Rather, as we
> approach the next IALLT meeting within the context of FLEAT, I
> thought this might be an interesting topic to discuss.
>
> When Susan Kornfield spoke at the last IALLT in Michigan, it was
> fascinating to learn how Anglo-Saxon copyright laws were intended
> more to insure public access to information and art rather than
> merely protect ownership (which it, of course, also does).
>
> In the case of video tapes, there are real quality issues regarding
> NTSC, PAL, BETA, etc.
>
> However, for DVDs it is in no way an objective quality issue, but
> rather only a tool for controlling the market. Therefore, any film
> made and sold in, say, Germany that is not also marketed in this
> country presents undo problems. The consumer is forced to buy a
> 'special' device to view it. And the industry would like to restrict
> sales of these devices, too. Even a foreign film that is marketed in
> the US does not necessarily offer the same features as the same film
> marketed in other zones. For instance, the subtitled language
> offerings can change depending on the zone.
>
> Is it a reasonable measure by the industry to control distribution
> and marketing? Or, in this global economy, does it represent illegal
> collusion infringing on reasonable public access to all works of art?
>
> If we, as a group, feel the industry is within its rights, then we
> must reconcile ourselves to the possibility that we may someday not
> even be able to buy devices that play all zones. If we, as a group,
> feel that the industry is overstepping its bounds, then we must
> consider positive means through which we can help in effecting change.
>
> So, what do you think?
>
> Scott
>
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> Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask])
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