But for whatever reason CBS the owner is not making available in a nice DVD and that does not give you the right to make and circulate a copy. 108 is very clear on the restrictions you just feel the greater good of making it available supersedes copyright law, why bother to even use copyright as a defense if you believe you can override what it says?
Let's suppose Cinema Guild or First Run or whoever had put out a title on VHS that you now needed on DVD. You contact them and they explain that they have a problem with their master and it will cost them 4 grand to make a new one so unless you can pay that much they can't make you a copy. So now you just dub your own vastly inferior copy because after all you need it. The distributor which simply can not afford to make a new master is being ripped off. Or how about this. You paid $250 for a VHS 20 years ago, the rights holder says they can indeed make you a VHS copy for the same $250 but they can't do a DVD. How many libraries will pay that (as the law requires FYI) or will they in fact just dub their own again inferior DVD? Again let's not pretend this has anything to do with archiving or preservation, it is because a school understandably wants to keep using a film and when they find it is even an inconvenient format and often not even at immediate risk ( as again the law requires) they will just dub a copy, end up with something that looks bad and help insure the better version is never released. Yep I am bit nasty today, but the " I would buy a 'real" copy if I could " does not legally ( or morally in my view) justify making a bad dub to use as you please. On Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 6:40 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Stephen (nice to hear from you!) > > I think there's a whole buncha confusion happening here regarding this > issue (Jessssica...I'm looking at you!) > > Libraries are in the business of selecting, acquiring, making accessible, > and preserving cultural content. That's what we do. "Use it up, wear > it out, make it do, do without" just doesn't fit this model--at least not > in research libraries. (Things vary from library type to library type...) > > I have a copy of Selling of the Pentagon (produced by CBS, 1971)--a > historic piece of TV. My vhs copy is dropping out as we speak. Used to > be distributed by the dearly departed Carousel Films. No one answers the > phone at CBS. Would I pay full price to replace on DVD?...in a NY minute. > What are my options: letting a landmark documentary crumble into mylar > and oxide? I don't think so. The law gives me the right to make a > replacement copy and that's what I'm gonna do. > > That's why libraries are around...to make sure this stuff stays around for > the future--no "if not, nots" about it. > > gary > > > > >> We are a small distributor of many many short art films, and it would >> hardly be worthwhile for anyone to pirate our stuff. Where would they >> advertise >> it? >> >> And yet I have a dog in this fight. Because every so often we get an >> inquiry about a title and I respond with an order form, and the line goes >> dead. >> Why? Because we don't charge $10, we charge $50. And I think they figure >> well let's see who has that, borrow it, and run off a copy. >> >> This whole discussion is really about having something that either you >> can't have or that costs more than you want to spend. Parsing and >> splitting >> the copyright laws is just a proxy argument. >> >> If the XYZ Production Company ever does make a DVD of that title you want, >> you can buy it. And if not, not. >> >> May I quote what is sometimes referred to as the New England credo? >> >> Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without. >> >> Stephan Chodorov >> Creative Arts Television >> www.catarchive.comVIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively >> discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and >> evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped >> that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video >> librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. >> > > > Gary Handman > Director > Media Resources Center > Moffitt Library > UC Berkeley > > 510-643-8566 > [email protected] > http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC > > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." > --Francois Truffaut > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > -- Jessica Rosner Media Consultant 224-545-3897 (cell) 212-627-1785 (land line) [email protected] VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
