More on Canadian camcording
I’m surprised that there are people who are against Canada passing a law that outlaws camcording in movie theaters. Has the idea of “fair use” and the desire to create “backups” extended to where some people think an individual is within his rights to record what he sees in a movie theater?
From michaelgeist.ca
The question demonstrates the impact of the media blitz on camcording - there has been no independent evidence put forward about Canadian industry or government losses (nor any reference to India that I can recall) yet that is how the question is framed.
I don’t think there is any “independent evidence” about losses taken on by the movie industry that would stop movie pirates from copying movies. I also don’t know how the movie industry determines what is a “loss,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if the movie industry loses more than it claims. When movies are copied and distributed online without permission, the movie industry loses more than the just price of the tickets they would have sold had a viewer saw the movie in the theater. They lose their right to the movie itself. People who want to see the movie no longer have to deal with the movie industry to watch a movie; they can instead just go online and get a copy from a pirate. The movie is, in essence, taken out of the free market.
Sure, the percentage of people who would watch a movie online illegal is pretty low. The vast majority of people are still going to meet the movie industry’s terms if they want to see a movie. However, if governments do not protect intellectual property, I think it’s only going to get worse.
And by the way, what “media blitz?”
A question that needs answering is not whether camcording is a good thing - it obviously is not (particularly in the way that it degrades the quality of the film) - but rather whether there is an impact on the Canadian film industry such that this issue should leap to the front on the line for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Note how the main objection the author raises about the illegal copy is its quality.
I think it is valid to question whether a law against movie camcording should be enacted, but only on the grounds that camcording in theaters is already made illegal by existing copyright law. And, most importantly, that the government of Canada enforces that law.
Tags: [intellectual property, movie industry, piracy]Comments
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