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MPAA Says Teachers Should Camcord For Fair Use

Posted by kdawson on from the bend-over-backwards-and-insert-here dept.

unlametheweak recommends an Ars Technica piece detailing the convoluted lengths to which the MPAA will go in order to keep anybody from ripping a DVD, ever. The organization showed a film to the US Copyright Office, in the triennial hearing to spell out exemptions to the DMCA, giving instructions for how a teacher could use a camcorder to record a low-quality clip of a DVD for educational use — even though such a purpose is solidly established in law as fair use. "Never mind that this solution results in video of questionable quality and requires teachers to learn even more tech in order to get the job done. It also requires schools (or, given the way most schools are run, the teachers themselves) to incur additional costs to purchase camcorders and videotapes if they don't have them already. Add in the extra time involved, and this 'solution' is a laughably convoluted alternative to simply ripping a clip from a DVD."

11 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. Camcorder? Yeah right. by eggman9713 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nah, can't do that, teacher might use the camcorder to videotape students in the locker room.

  2. well that explains it... by grapeape · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I know what that guy was doing behind me while I was watching Star Trek yesterday. He was just making a clip for fair use.

  3. This just in: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to the MPAA, it is a-okay to use a camcorder to record a movie!

  4. Kind of like... by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 5, Funny

    requiring you to defend yourself from a wild boar with a knife, even if you have a gun, just because it is not legal to have a gun where you live. (Even if you don't happen to have a knife.)

    BTW, like the MPAA, wild boars are vicious.

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
    1. Re:Kind of like... by cheftw · · Score: 5, Funny

      There are several varieties of "wild boar" (at least in N. America). Some are viscous...

      God help us all

      --
      Always back up, never back down. ---- Think you're cool 'cos your uid is prime? Take mine, modulo the one digit integers
  5. The MPAA went on to say that by SirLurksAlot · · Score: 5, Funny

    Teachers may also make partial copies of a CD for education purposes by recording to a vinyl record and playing it back on a phonograph.

    --
    God, schmod. I want my monkey man!
  6. In related news by InsertWittyNameHere · · Score: 5, Funny

    ThePirateBay.org registers the domain TheTeacherBay.org

  7. I can't wait by Moleculo · · Score: 5, Funny

    until Star.Trek.(2009).Mr.BeRNaRD.3rdPeRIod.SoCiALSTudiES.avi hits the scene.

  8. Re:Ridiculous, but somewhat scary. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Even I (a soon to be unemployed law school graduate) didn't think that I could make this argument with a straight face even for tons of money.

    Don't worry, you'll learn.

  9. Re:"ripping", the word is visceral, "copy" is not by Achromatic1978 · · Score: 5, Funny

    'jena se qua'

    Who is that, a French porn star? The phrase you are looking for is je ne sais quoi.

  10. Re:MPAA Graciousness and Generosity by JustOK · · Score: 5, Funny

    They're not going to say anything.

    --
    rewriting history since 2109