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Valenti's "Boston Strangler" Testimony

Posted by michael on from the hoist-by-own-petard dept.

Seth Schoen writes "'I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone.' Jack Valenti said this in 1982 in testimony to the House of Representatives on why the VCR should be illegal. He also called the VCR an "avalanche" and a "tidal wave", and said it would make the film industry "bleed and bleed and hemorrhage". This speech is an important part of history, yet until today it had never been published on-line in its entirety. Valenti's testimony was published today by Cryptome. It's essential background reading if you want to see just how little the MPAA's arguments have changed in two decades." Compare to the Analog Hole document and they're virtually identical (except Valenti was playing on anti-Japanese sentiment then, and today it's anti-pirate sentiment). Of course, the MPAA was unsuccessful in plugging the "VCR Hole" - insufficient lobbying and clueful judges stopped them. The MPAA successfully adapted to the changing times and today sells about 70 million cassettes for rentals and 600 million cassettes for home viewing every year (both numbers are on the decline due to the rise of DVD).

4 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. Yay For Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Yay for Slashdot...

    I mean really, one minute you guys are writing articles talking trash about the movie industry and the MPAA, and the next you are gobbling up hot new movies such as "Star Wars: Attack of The Clones" and "Spider Man" all while practically clinging to George Lucas' testicles and letting Jack Valenti screw you in the asshole with a spindle of DVD's.

    God damn you guys are fucking pathetic.

    Nuff said.

    Oh and BTW, FP and goatse.cx etc etc etc.

    1. Re:Yay For Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      Eat a dick, bitch.

  2. Re:Terms, Terms, Terms by Sc00ter · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    "'Piracy' -- Copyright infringement is called just that, 'copyright infringement.' I suggest you stop someone when they use the word 'piracy' and ask them what boats on what ocean they are talking about. "Piracy" has no legal meaning and it only exists because 'copyright infringement' doesn't sound as bad. It's hard to argue with this fact."

    And gay is being happy, and geeks are sideshow freaks.. Give it a rest, words change and get new meanings over time. Deal with it and move on.

    --
    Free Mac Mini
  3. Re:Looks like he was wrong... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    who gives a shit, wanker!