MPAA Says Teachers Should Camcord For Fair Use 286
unlametheweak recommends an Ars Technica piece detailing the convoluted lengths to which the MPAA will go in order to keep anybody from ripping a DVD, ever. The organization showed a film to the US Copyright Office, in the triennial hearing to spell out exemptions to the DMCA, giving instructions for how a teacher could use a camcorder to record a low-quality clip of a DVD for educational use — even though such a purpose is solidly established in law as fair use. "Never mind that this solution results in video of questionable quality and requires teachers to learn even more tech in order to get the job done. It also requires schools (or, given the way most schools are run, the teachers themselves) to incur additional costs to purchase camcorders and videotapes if they don't have them already. Add in the extra time involved, and this 'solution' is a laughably convoluted alternative to simply ripping a clip from a DVD."
not surprised. (Score:1, Insightful)
only in america...
Good! (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm glad for ridiculous crap like this, because the more groups that end up on the target list of the MAFIAA's tactics, the sooner something will be done to redress the abuses of our society and our freedoms they have perpetuated in the name of copyright.
People apparently have to feel the heat themselves in order to see the wrong in the MAFIAA's ways.
It doesn't matter what the MPAA says (Score:5, Insightful)
Empirical Test (Score:2, Insightful)
Experiment: Take a random sample of teachers. Equip half with camcorders, a DVD, DVD player and TV. (For completeness, include a group that can take a feed from the DVD player directly to the camcorder). Equip the other half with a PC, DVD ripping software, a DVD and DVD player.
Measure the time taken to extract a clip from the specific DVD and the quality achieved by each group. Compare results.
Hypothesis: Quality obtained by first group will be acceptable and is a lower-tech solution than that needed by second group
Re:Empirical Test (Score:3, Insightful)
Teachers also have students in their classroom.
"10 points extra credit to whoever helps me clip this section of this movie off this DVD."
Can guarentee in any school where teachers are actually concerned about pulling clips off a DVD at least 5 students will know how to do that right then and there.
Camcorder method requires setting up the camcorder, TV or projector, lighting, you'll likely need to do this in a spare room or after hours. Then you have to edit it in to whatever the teacher wanted to use it for.
Acceptable or not, it's a large number of hoops for something that, if you're allowed to copy off the DVD, can otherwise be done in 10 minutes.
Re:It doesn't matter what the MPAA says (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ripping a DVD (Score:5, Insightful)
Leave the teachers out of what is already stupid (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The MPAA went on to say that (Score:5, Insightful)
Teachers may also make partial copies of a CD for education purposes by recording to a vinyl record and playing it back on a phonograph.
It appears that part of the rationale behind the MPAA doing this is:
1) To keep any copies (copied fair-use clips, no less) of marginal quality so as to increase the (theoretical) value of an actual DVD. Dubious logic here, if that is part of the reasoning. If that were the case they could more logically argue to keep low quality copies (in general) of MPAA IP legal for educational purposes, no matter how it is derived (from ripping software or through cam-cording).
2) Try and prevent the spread of DVD-circumvention devices. Dubious logic again since it would probably be more efficient to by an extra DVD (or use the original if possible) and just bookmark the appropriate scenes for classroom viewing rather than to buy blank tape and maintain video equipment. Of course you can't un-invent DeCSS, nor can the MPAA go back in time and assassinate DVD Jon or people like him, so trying to stop DVD copying is fruitless and will only punish people and hinder schools, etc from making back-ups, fair-use clips, etc. The logic here is as senseless as the people who want to fight the War on Drugs.
3) They've already argued against cam-cording in non-educational settings (like movie-theaters), so it seems like they just have too much time and money on there hands and just want to be difficult. These are people who have power, and want to get as much out of it as they can. They seem to be enjoying themselves. My two cents here.
Re:It doesn't matter what the MPAA says (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Photocopying (Score:5, Insightful)
People will always be able to rip DVDs. It doesn't matter if the law allows the circumvention or not, it's a cracked technology.
However, if the law DOES allow it, that opens the door for legitimate businesses to manufacture and sell tools to make it easy for educators to copy clips. That's one of the reasons why it's so important that it be legal.
Or, better yet (Score:5, Insightful)
Teachers could carve each frame into a clay tablet and let it dry in the sun. Then mount the clay tablets on big wooden wheel and spin it real fast.
Time to put an end to chucklehead organizations like the MPAA, BSA and RIAA. Companies are trying to be heavy-handed with their customers while letting some vaporous organization take the heat for their dickish behavior. Implement joint and several liability on the member companies for the actions of their enforcement organizations and this silly business will end overnight.
Re:How much longer? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Ripping a DVD (Score:2, Insightful)
Strictly speaking, at least in the US, there is a significant difference between a "rip" and a "backup".
I don't think so. Even Microsoft's Windows Media Player has a large "Rip" button in the middle of its menu, right beside the "Backup" button. "Rip" is to extract audio and/or video (to a hard drive). "Backup" is to burn it. I checked the Wikipedia also, which seems to agree with me.
Re:It doesn't matter what the MPAA says (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:It doesn't matter what the MPAA says (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, it's the DMCA that's the issue, not Fair Use.
Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
I suggest you try playing a 20 second clip from the middle of a commercial DVD sometime to see how practical it is. Thanks to the inclusion of unskippable logos, trailers and informative films telling you how downloading music is stealing and makes you a criminal, it takes forever to actually get to the content. Whoever came up with the idea of locking DVD player controls should be made to try to start up Toy Story for an audience of 100 impatient toddlers and see how good an idea it seems then.
We could insist that all educational DVD players don't implement these controls, but then that would break the DMCA and we're back to square one.
Re:Empirical Test (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Camcorder? Yeah right. (Score:3, Insightful)
Is it too much to ask for these to be modded right?
Re:Kind of like... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:How much longer? (Score:3, Insightful)
How much longer before the MPAA becomes irrelevant and we can just ignore their antics?
Under current law: ninety-five years after the end of the year in which the major U.S. motion picture studios stop publishing new works.
Re:Photocopying (Score:3, Insightful)
Reasons unknown? If my boss blocked Facebook and YouTube fewer idiots would be wasting time they should be spending doing billable work for our clients. The schools' blocking open source sites for fear of hacking is disappointing, but your suggestion that social networking and flash video websites serve some useful purpose is ridiculous. I wish you luck getting programming and open source sites to kids, but try leave pointless time-wasters out of your argument when defending your suggestion in front of the school board. Unless the computer lab has overtaken the entire library, students may be able to use librarians (who as resources go are nearly as good as Google) to locate books (which as information goes is nearly as good as a website) for their educational endeavors.
Re:Kind of like... (Score:3, Insightful)
Just keep the distance.
Re:This just in: (Score:4, Insightful)
No, Vista/7 will only stop you from doing that with DRM'd stuff, (which if you didn't have Vista you wouldn't be able to watch anyway), so it's a complete non-issue.