In the early ’80s, the movie industry was entrenched in another war against technology. It was not file sharing that worried them but video copying.
Sony had just unveiled the VCR, and the movie industry — certain that people would only use this new technology to copy and steal movies — tried to block it entirely. Even more, they feared a loss to theater revenues as people stayed home to watch their purchased, rented or, worst of all, copied movies.
Rather than embracing or endorsing the new distribution models created by home video players, movie studios sought to stop their production and the spread of rental services that used them.
But in landmark legal battles (especially Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios, Inc., in 1984) the courts held that the benefits of these new technologies far outweighed their potential criminal uses.
These decisions benefitted consumers and the movie industry alike. Even though the copying of tapes did continue, the sale and rental of home videos proved a profitable venue for media rather than a threat to the industry.
Related Posts
- Movie Industry Wins DVD Copying Suit vs 321 Studios
- The Pirate Bay: Here to Stay?
- Tech/Hollywood Partnership Against Piracy
- MGM Studios Inc., et al V. Grokster Ltd., et al, No. 04-480
- Judge: decentralized peer-to-peer software is legal
Loading ...
The full content of this article is excellent. It is well written well thought and relevant. Unfortunately it is a college newspaper and until the “Big Guns” of the publsihing world take note the RIAA and MPAA will continue it’s stupid useless rampage.