Australian Consumer Body May Attack DVD Zoning.

__Paul__ writes "The Age has a report that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is considering launching an attack on DVD zoning, because it restricts competition. At least this Australian governmental body still has a clue, even if the rest of them don't." I lust after a DVD region free world. Its just such a pain.

Comments

We suck

[AcidMonkey]

I consider myself a patriotic American, but lately...well, we suck.

The French sued over Echelon, meanwhile the Americans government is still playing dumb with the citizens.

American courts are taking cues from American (or international-but-mostly-American) corporations to bully 16-year-old kids on the other side of the world.

And now Australia, which is not generally big in world politics (no offense), is the one to step up and say "hey, this sucks!" to the MPAA.

My fellow Americans...we're doing something wrong!

Re:We suck

[Jedi Alec]

My fellow Americans...we're doing something wrong!

Seems the Aussi's will be our next world leaders. Guess I'll have to practice on my English, eh?

In a global world, this could be the end

[Kiss the Blade]

In my opinion, it just takes one major country to step out of line to render the DVD zoning attempts by the industry moguls more or less obsolete. I say this because the world has now become so sonnected in both the communicative and physical sense, that if Australia bans DVD zoning, its as though a place in my backyard has done so; its no problem to import the players and DVD's from Australia itself.

The only way I can see my vision being thwarted is if the major film companies decide to boycot the Australian market alltogether. It may be worth it for them, financially, in the short term to do so, but I think the ire and publicity would be too much.

God bless Australia fair.

KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.

Re:In a global world, this could be the end

[nstrug]

Any sillier than the current trade war between Europe and the US over bananas - which are not produced in either country/trade bloc?

As an Australian..

[Rob from RPI]

May I say, simply, YES! Thank you, Australian Government! However, I hate to admit, our goverment is so spineless (an amobea has more of a verterbre than our current government) that Sony or someone will frown slightly, or raise an eyebrow, and the guys in the big-white-funny-looking-building will do their usual belly-crawling and say 'Oh no, it was a big misunderstanding'

No, not cynical. Realistic.

--Rob

Comics:
Sluggy.com - Poing!

already illegal in new zealand (i think)

[elbobo]

i believe (although i may be wrong), that dvd region restrictions are already illegal in new zealand. or rather, they break an already in place law.

so any player you buy in nz is multi-region. certainly all the players i've bought have been unrestricted.

can anyone confirm this one for me? and are there other countries where this is already the case?

matt

Warner warns us ? (and others issues)

[mirko]

I recently heard on the radio that Warner are about (if they had not already done it) to implement a test in their DVD movies : If the player is region-free, then the film will "refuse" to be played.
IMHO this is illegal and will force them to reimburse most of the people I know who bought their player before 1999/12/31st.
Maybe some "clever" law from Down-under has just made a step further.
BTW, "they" justify DVD-zoning by talking about the non-simultaneous movie availability around the world.
So : Why are "The Ten Commandments" only available in Zone 1 and not in Zone 0 ???
Is it about to be broadcasted in some hidden part of the globe (or on Mir) ?

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