MPAA Sued Over DVD Screener Ban

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @10:17AM from the we-want-awards-too dept.

bigjnsa500 writes "Fourteen small movie houses are suing the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) trying to stop the ban on DVD 'screeners'. 'It will chill the financing of independent films by limiting the awards they can receive', say the plaintiffs, who include Talking Wall Pictures, Sandcastle 5 Productions and Salty Features. They feel they are being treated differently because several 'specialty' indy film shops are still allowed to send out 'numbered, encoded videocassettes' to Oscar voters. This ban was issued by MPAA President Jack Valenti initially to stop the illegal distribution of DVD screeners on the Internet."

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Uh, what's to stop them in first place? by theycallmeB · 2003-11-25 10:34 · Score: 1, Redundant

Has the MPAA been granted binding authority over all movie production studios by some law or contract I am not aware of?

If you run a small studio and don't like the ban, ignore it. If the big bosses get upset and boot you out, maybe you don't really want to be 'in' in the first place. If there is a contract problem, re-negoiate. Quit. Do anything but waste money and time by suing.