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EFF Supporting Home DVD Editing

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the another-front-to-worry-about dept.

cheesedog writes "The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a brief in federal court in support of companies that offer software to edit violence or sex from a user's DVD. The full story can be found in this article from the Salt Lake Tribune."

10 of 508 comments (clear)

  1. Yes, let the Mormons edit their DVDs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As long as I can still view all the sex and violence I want, then I'm fine with it. Personal censorship is a right.

    1. Re:Yes, let the Mormons edit their DVDs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      As a Mormon, I'd have to agree. If I want to see a good movie, without the sex & language, why not?

      I'm still paying for it. I'm not selling the changes or forcing them upon anyone.

      I just get to watch my video (I payed for it), in my home, on my terms.

      You would think Hollywood would welcome the chance to relaim customers, but apparently all they're intent on is reducing society to the lowest common denomiator, with no exceptions.

  2. I would never do this to myself. by Agent+Deepshit · · Score: 5, Funny

    They would have my support if they supported tools to add sex or violence though.

  3. Clockwork Orange by ghotiboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Every time I read something about this STUPID argument, it makes me thing of the movie Clockwork Orange.

    YOU WILL WATCH IT! Here are the toothpicks.

  4. It ups the potential audience size by zptdooda · · Score: 5, Insightful

    , so what's the problem?

    "Consumers are being empowered to use technology to customize the way they view something in the privacy of their own home, and this makes Hollywood nervous," said Jason Schultz, the EFF attorney

    I don't see why empowering the customer in this way would be bad for Hollywood. The customer wins, but I don't see the flipside loss.

    Is it that Hollywood would want to sell their own software to do this? Is it lost opportunity cost?

    --
    Esteem isn't a zero sum game
    1. Re:It ups the potential audience size by wfmcwalter · · Score: 5, Insightful
      If customers assert their right to control something they (gasp) actually own, they might (gasp) get ideas above their station.

      Maybe they'll want to show their kids a version with sponsorship messages and product placements removed. It's not difficult to imagine a (PC based) player that takes a "blurtrack" file which matches a DVD, and superimposes a blur over parts of the screen that I don't want crammed down my throat.

      Maybe they'll want to watch the basketball but have the TV show a replay rather than listen to the network's shamless shill proclaim "I'm going to Disnaeland".

      Moreover, the EFF is defending the principle that the customer should control what they've already paid for. That the customer can watch a US region movie in Australia. That the customer who bought the home version of "I know what you did last Tuesday" can watch it on their laptop, on their cellphone, can listen to the soundtrack without the dialog, can skip over the ten minutes of trailers and ads that preceed it.

      Hollywood doesn't want the consumer having this control. It devalues their advertising and prevents them from reselling you the same material over again in each format you want to use.

      --
      ## W.Finlay McWalter ## http://www.mcwalter.org ##
  5. Editing DVDs by mhesseltine · · Score: 5, Interesting

    From the article:

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a brief in federal court in support of companies that offer software to edit violence or sex from a user's DVD. The full story can be found in this article from the Salt Lake Tribune.

    I have no problem with the violence or sex. What I want to edit out are the mandatory previews, FBI warnings, "The comments made are those of the individual and not the studio", kinds of things. Those bother me far more than the content of the video. Any word on if that's a possibility?

    --
    Overrated / Underrated : Moderation :: Anonymous Coward : Posting
  6. I think that this is good by Carnivore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because it lets people self-censor, rather than a giant company doing it for all of us. This lets people who don't mind (or even enjoy) violence and sex to see more of it, and those who do mind can watch the same stuff, sans sex and violence. Anything to increase the granularity of censorship is great in my book.

  7. I totally support this idea by imAck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To me this is like muting the TV when the commercials come on. The notion that "editing" content being wrong or illegal? Come on. What are they going to do next, tell you you can't cover your eyes during a scary part of the movie?

    --

    It's hard to tell the cool to chill, my favorite hotel room has a view to an ill.

  8. Why not just watch what's already there? by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    They would have my support if they supported tools to add sex or violence though.

    Or, given that the technology exists to cut out the sex and violence, why not make a drive that skips everything _except_ the sex and violence?

    It would certainly make Van Damme's movies watchable.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.