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BBC Opens TV Archive to Remixers
megla writes "The BBC has opened its Creative Archive to the public, allowing users to be VJs and remix BBC content. The BBC's "current music" radio station, Radio 1, is running a competition in conjunction with the release.
Unfortunately, the license the content is released under requires that you are a UK resident to use it." For British residents, however, this is well worth the television license.
You know, I never used to be a big fan of the BBC and its licence for UK viewers. However, the great content it's made available via its website, complete lack of advertisements and new shows (recently) have really changed my view. The news service is largely unbiased, far less biased than any US channel/website I've visited. Also, since it's non-commercial it allows them to experiment more, and include news articles and pieces that aren't totally focussed on bringing in page hits.
I did subscribe to Sky a while back, but dropped it after finding the 5 minute ad breaks every 15 minutes extremely annoying (the channels all seem to display adverts at the same time too, to stop channel hopping I guess), and constant repeats. Sky make a huge deal out of any show they're airing for the first time, instead of the 5001st - and pepper them with even more adverts.
So basically, the short version of this comment is: "Fuck Sky, Go Beeb".
Code, Hardware, stuff like that.
But are they really going to experience a monetary, or some other kind of, loss if someone outside the UK uses BBC samples in a completely non-profit production? After all it strictly requires "No commercial use" anyway.
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You can hardly call it open then.
i read through the website, and nowhere did it ever say it was "open". it says it's available under their licensing terms, which excludes you. so what's your bitch about?
I would even *pay* for access to BBC content if I could, but thats not even allowed either.
you don't have to pay to have a
This is just as bad as normal copyrighted content in terms of lack of freedom.
boo-hoo! waaaahhhh! the content doesn't belong to you. you don't pay to support the BBC. and the BBC can do whatever the fuck they want. stop thinking you have this automatic right to everything. life's a bitch sometimes, i know, but get over it.
(and fyi, i'm not a UK citizen.)
4. No Endorsement and No derogatory use The Creative Archive content is provided to allow you to get creative with content, not for campaigning, soapboxing or to defame others! So don't use it to promote political, charitable, or other campaigning purposes and remember to treat others and their work in the way that you'd expect them to treat you and your work...with respect!
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You're the reason companies stop doing nice things.
As happy as I am with all of the interesting stuff the BBC is doing via the web, I really wish they hadn't had to kill their shortwave bradcasts to North America to do it. And though I can listen online when I'm around a computer and can even catch their broadcasts to other regions, I miss being able to hear them clearly almost any evening hour without shelling out for a satellite radio. I'd even trade all of the whizzy web crap for that.
That is all.
I just had a British friend send me all the blocked BBC videos.
And how conveniently unoriginal and cliche that you blindly tag this as some kind of imaginary American arrogance. I think most Internet nerds like myself, regardless of national origin, can and will get copyrighted material if they want it, whether the holder likes it or not.
Don't release it on the Internet if you don't want it to end up International.
This remarkably naive view point ignores the fact that the rights for BBC IP are assigned to BBC Worldwide incorporated in the US.
There wouldn't be any need to extradite you. Instead you could be sued in the good 'ol US of A. And the great thing about that? In the US they can afford better lawyers than you can.
Most countries you're ever likely to visit are additionally signatories to the Bern convention on copyright, which specifically requires these countries to mutually recognise and enforce eachothers copyrights.
As a result any work copyrighted in the US is equally protected in Europe and most other parts of the world and vice versa.
As a result, if someone in Sweden did the same thing, while the US government can't do a thing - which is about the only thing you got right -, the Swedish government could. And depending on what you'd do with the content you'd be liable for anything from damages to massive fines and possibly imprisonment.
And no, this is certainly not a contract issue, but a copyright issue. Depending on what you'd do with the copyrighted work, you might be lucky ad only be risk a civil trial or you may have a full fledged criminal case on your hands.
(IANAL, but it doesn't stop me from knowing more about law than the poster I just replied to...)
"The BBC has opened its Creative Archive"
I guess you don't understand the meaning of the word "opened". It doesn't mean "give aaway for free to any loser that wants it". It means giving those who have paid for it access to it.
Okay, tell me where to find all these archived Dr. Who episodes and other brit stuff I like to watch. For free.
You can't - and why the hell should you be able to? If you want to see it - pay like everyone else.
I never said I had a right to anything. The BBC is trying to present this effort as making their content "open" when its not. I never said the content belongs to me either (although I generally do not view something intangible as having an "owner").
So you want free access to something that isn't yours because of what? Your incessant whining? The BBC haven't presented this as making their stuff "open" in your twisted "give it to me for free OMG why won't you give it to me? Why do you hate freedom?" meaning of the word open. It means open to those who have paid for it, which is 100% reasonable. Well, reasonable to everyone who isn't a selfish moron who wants everyone else to pay in order to bring them free stuff on a silver platter.
Don't like it? Fuck off and make your own damn content.