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20 Year Anniversary of Home Taping Decision

Posted by michael on from the devil-in-the-details dept.

jemnery writes "It's worth noting that January 17th is the 20th anniversary of the US Supreme Court's decision in favour of Sony to allow home taping of broadcast programmes. This is something we all take for granted these days, but at the time it was a close-run thing. You can read about case no. 81-1687 here." The Guardian has a commentary.

4 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. The death of moviemaking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    According to MPAA head Jack Valenti.

    Too damn bad he was totally wrong - we would have been spared the Star Wars prequels...

  2. Mankind has developed _A LOT_ in 20 years! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is breathtaking to go back 20 years and see _HOW ENORMOUSLY_ mankind has developed since then! I mean, I was having a hard time believing this story was true. I was born in 1973 and I stopped and thinked about how much have happened since I was born. Like colour television, people started to get those in the middle of the 80s! Not any sooner. Now we take it granted. Amazing... Stop and think about it.

    1. Re:Mankind has developed _A LOT_ in 20 years! by wozster · · Score: 5, Funny
      Just to give you some perspective on it: my grandmother bought her Motorola color TV (27") in 1697


      Holy crap! Your grandmother was a time traveler?

      Now that's cool
  3. Our buddy Jack Valenti by Complicity · · Score: 5, Funny

    And to this day, not a single American film producer, indeed no one at all, has been murdered by a VCR, ala the Boston Strangler.

    If you're not familiar with the quote...

    "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

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