(no subject)

[maradydd]

By way of the EFF: a concise overview of just how much of a pain in the ass it is to follow proper fair use provisions when remixing a scene from a movie. EFF Chairman Brad Templeton did a subtitles remix of that Hitler-ranting-at-everyone scene from the movie Downfall, with Hitler as a producer (and apparently affiliated with the MPAA). (Such remixes have frequently been subject to DMCA takedown notices on YouTube.) In order to make sure he was 100% square with the DMCA, Templeton had to order a Region 2 copy of the DVD in order to export video without subtitles through the analog hole, then reimport it (over S-video) before adding his own subtitles.

It certainly shows how much of a pain in the ass it is to jump through all the legal hoops, and how the process could be streamlined. Oh, and the parody video is really funny; you should go watch it (at the link above).

Comments

[ndgmtlcd.livejournal.com]

Speaking of copyright issues. are you aware of what Alphascript, a sort-of publishing company is doing with copyleft texts?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:PrimeHunter/Alphascript_Publishing_sells_free_articles_as_expensive_books

I find it intellectually interesting because Alphascript seem to have managed to obey the letter of the law, jumping through all the possible legal hoops for copyleft texts while completely perverting the spirit of copyleft laws. For me the important thing here isn't that they're charging a rather high price for books made up of free texts but that in the process of making these so called books they're leaving out the traditional organisation and metadata of books (structured text, table of contents, index) and thus turning useful information into thick paper collections of spam.

[digitalsidhe.livejournal.com]

Without giving anything away for those who haven't seen it yet, I'll just say that I love what they did with the usual "and Stalin!!!" bit in the middle. Definite win.

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

EFF FTW