Fast-forwarding is not a crime!

By Cory Doctorow at 10:01 am Monday, Nov 11

Great LA Times editorial by Ernest "Lawmeme" Miller about the baseless ire expressed by movie directors over software that lets users circulate edit lists that insert or skip through material during playback, so that educators can produce virtual "highlight reels" with their own voice-over, or parents can generate and circulate kid-friendly versions of Hollywood movies.

When you buy a book you can highlight portions or rearrange pages. A friend can recommend that you rip out the boring chapters and read only the climax, and neither the author nor the publisher has a right to stop you. Why should movies on DVD be any different?

When a DVD is legitimately purchased or rented, consumers should have the right to play it with software that enhances their personal viewing experience. Parents should have the right to skip a second or two of gratuitous nudity in an otherwise family-friendly film. Film buffs should have the right to watch a film with an alternative audio commentary by an expert such as Roger Ebert, without permanently altering the disc.

Ultimately, the issue is one of control. Technology has given consumers the ability to control how they watch movies in their homes, and the DGA wants to take that control away by banning the technology. Even if you don't have kids, aren't much of a film buff or love graphic movies, do you really want Hollywood dictating how you view DVDs in your own home?

Link Discuss (Thanks, Ernest!)