Judge rules against companies like CleanFlicks

[cardaway]

from today's NY TIMES

"A federal judge has ruled that sanitizing DVD or VHS versions of movies violates copyright laws, The Associated Press reported. Declaring the editing of films to delete objectionable language, sex and violence to be an "illegitimate business," Judge Richard P. Matsch of United States District Court in Denver ordered several companies engaged in such work to turn over their inventory to Hollywood studios. He said that the scrubbing of films hurts studios and directors who own the rights and does "irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression in the copyrighted movies." He ordered three companies named in the suit to stop "producing, manufacturing, creating" and renting the edited movies. Ray Lines, the chief executive of CleanFlicks, one of the companies, said, "We're going to continue the fight." It burns edited movies onto blank discs and sells them over the Internet and to video stories. As many as 90 stores nationwide, about half of them in Utah, buy the CleanFlicks versions, Mr. Lines said. Michael Apted, president of the Directors Guild of America, applauded Judge Matsch's ruling. Mr. Apted said, "Audiences can now be assured that the films they buy or rent are the vision of the filmmakers who made them and not the arbitrary choices of a third-party editor."

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

good - I have always felt that was wrong - it really irks me when places rent/sell (wasn't Walmart and Blockbuster doing this???) these without letting the customer know what they are getting.......

if you don't want to watch the film as it was intended - don't watch...

 

[cardaway]

if you don't want to watch the film as it was intended - don't watch...

 

[DVCLiz]

I'm delighted with this news and agree 100% with the previous posters. Choose your movies based on their original form. I'd be furious if anyone tried to sell or rent me a "clean" version of a movie THEY had decided to edit. I'll make my own decisions about what I will or won't watch or allow my children to watch, thank you very much!!!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I was not familiar with the companies selling the edited versions of films. Wouldn't that be a blatant violation of copyright laws? Anyhow, this is why I love DVDs. I can do my own editing to decide what "version" of the movie/show that my kids see. I wouldn't like a third party deciding that.

 

[LukenDC]

I was not familiar with the companies selling the edited versions of films. Wouldn't that be a blatant violation of copyright laws? Anyhow, this is why I love DVDs. I can do my own editing to decide what "version" of the movie/show that my kids see. I wouldn't like a third party deciding that.

I agree. Viewers---and parents---need to decide what they will and will not show in their homes. If an objectionable scene comes up, simply fast forward.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Awesome ruling!

 

[cardaway]

Best editing tool known to man = puting down the "bad" movie and buying one that suits your taste.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

OT: cardaway... we're gonna have to stop meeting like this Maybe the chasm between is us is not so great

 

[cardaway]

OT: cardaway... we're gonna have to stop meeting like this Maybe the chasm between is us is not so great

It never really was.

 

[ducklite]

It's about time. No one has the right to edit an artists work without their permission let alone then to resell it, except under very limited and extremely specific exceptions to the copyright law.

The "Moral Majority" in this country is welcome to not buy anything they find offensive. They are not welcome to interfere with someone elses's copywritten work, particularly when they are profitting from it's resale.

Anne

 

[jgmklmhem]

I think some of you are missing what many of these companies do. I buy say Doc Hollywood which has just the one scene where the girl walks nude from the lake plus some curse words (I chose this movie because for the most part nothing really objectionable and the curse words and nude scene can be left out without truly changing the film). I then take it to these places and they clean it up for me at a profit to them of course. I don't see any problem with that since the movie was also scrubbed in the same way to be seen on TBS. I guess I do not see what the big deal is when it is done aftermarket. It isn't like one would be scrubbing every copy available just their own personal copy. I personally do not use the service, but can see why some people would. There are plenty of movies out there save for one nude scene and cursing that otherwise would be more acceptable for more of the family to see.

 

[nkjzmom]

How does or will this affect the DVD players that filter it for you?

 

[palmtreegirl]

 

[noodleknitter]

They don't mess with them and then market them? I always thought that was the problem.

If someone wants to mutate a copy of a movie they have purchased, I guess I don't see a problem with the concept.

I can't imagine doing so. We just FF thru anything that is inappropriate.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

How does or will this affect the DVD players that filter it for you?

I would think that would be different.

Owner of the DVD or television is choosing to have the guardian bleep out words. They are getting presented in their correct authorized format--but mom and dad decide on their own to have software to sense the words and silence them. (Not sure how it really works though).

No different than someone buying a book and tearing out a chapter. It is now their property--they don't have to read it all if they don't want to. The ruling upholds that a company cannot alter the material--so Barnes and Noble can't go and remove chapters and then sell the product. You can do with it what you wish in your own home.

 

[cardaway]

How does or will this affect the DVD players that filter it for you?

No affect to real time editing software like those in some DVD players. The difference is these companies were making a profit by selling copies of the movie. The DVD player software just changes what you already purchased.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I think some of you are missing what many of these companies do. I buy say Doc Hollywood which has just the one scene where the girl walks nude from the lake plus some curse words (I chose this movie because for the most part nothing really objectionable and the curse words and nude scene can be left out without truly changing the film). I then take it to these places and they clean it up for me at a profit to them of course. I don't see any problem with that since the movie was also scrubbed in the same way to be seen on TBS. I guess I do not see what the big deal is when it is done aftermarket. It isn't like one would be scrubbing every copy available just their own personal copy. I personally do not use the service, but can see why some people would. There are plenty of movies out there save for one nude scene and cursing that otherwise would be more acceptable for more of the family to see.

How it is edited for TV is done with permission. The scrubbing done by these companies is done WITHOUT permission. BIG DIFFERENCE.

There is a fast forward button on the remote that one can use that will serve the same purpose.

 

[cardaway]

I don't see any problem with that since the movie was also scrubbed in the same way to be seen on TBS.

If TBS was to open a store and sell their TV edit, then it would be the same.

 

[ducklite]

They don't mess with them and then market them? I always thought that was the problem.

If someone wants to mutate a copy of a movie they have purchased, I guess I don't see a problem with the concept.

I can't imagine doing so. We just FF thru anything that is inappropriate.

No, they edit them and then sell/rent them at a profit. That's where the problem lies. If you were to go to Target, buy a movie, and take it to a friend to edit out objectionable material for you, that's your choice, even if you paid your buddy for his time.

In this case, they are buying the movies, editing them without permission, in some cases drastically altering the storyline, and then RESELLING them for a profit. THAT is where the copyright infringement lies, and that is where the law is being broken.

Anne