--- Forwarded Message from Derek Roff <[log in to unmask]> --- >Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 15:07:59 -0600 >From: Derek Roff <[log in to unmask]> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: #5761.6 Legal issues regarding conversion of PAL video to NTSC >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> ------------------ Part of the problem with copyright is that the laws have never been able to keep up with technology. Before movies existed, copyright law primarily addressed printed works. There was no expectation that a book would wear out in a specific time, and duplication of a book was hard. Movies got some special rules, because films are much easier to copy than books (pre-Xerox), and degrade each time they run through the projector. Early film stock had a fairly short life, even in storage. New regulations were written for films, that deal with the life of a physical copy. Now, the same movies can be copied onto videotape, which can be played many more times than a film can be projected, and can be stored digitally, which implies indefinite life. New technology makes the special rules, created for a short-lived physical medium, inappropriate. What I see, in the discussions of where copyright law is going, indicates a trend away from worrying about the physical object. I think we will deal more with the intellectual property questions, and less with the physical medium. Meanwhile, everything is muddy, and it is probably most important to follow the rules on your own campus. Derek --- Forwarded Message from Ursula Williams <[log in to unmask]> --- > I'm with Bruce on this one, and here's the reason: If you retain > the original, what do you do if the copy is lost or damaged? I'm > thinking that it is NOT legal to retain originals and circulate > copies, making fresh ones as needed. That is not, IMO, the spirit > of the law. I do make conversions, but destroy the original. That > way the person who bought one tape has one tape, with its built-in > life-span. When that expires, it's time to buy a new tape. Derek Roff Language Learning Center, Ortega Hall Rm 129, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131 505/277-4804 fax 505/277-3885 Internet: [log in to unmask]