A picture plus words…
A picture’s worth a thousand words. And when you add words? Well, they’re just worth a word a piece. So by my estimate, this graphic (*note:* some not-safe-for-work language) is worth approximately 1,091 words. The image – made to look like an MPAA-sponsored advert – pretty much sums up the outrage that both Thud and I have spoken about. Here are just a few of the words, but you need to see the graphic for the full effect.
I’ve just bought my favourite movie of all time on DVD from a shop. Now, I’ve got to sit through an unskippable anti-piracy advert every single time I put the disc into my DVD player, even though I own a legit, shop-bought copy….
Again. I have encountered these unskippable ads. On Laurel & Hardy DVD’s. Laurel & Hardy. Frankly, the only reason these films are not in the public domain is the constant lobbying of corporations like Disney to extend copyright far beyond anything the original code would have thought reasonable. These movies have made their money back over and over and over again pretty much since they were released. And now, after paying $50 for a box set of three movies, I get to sit through an ad that tells me I’m a criminal – and even gets the explanation of the law wrong?
I’ve been predicting a copyright blow-up on the winds for a long time, and I know I’m not the only one. But when is it going to be enough for the artists and consumers both to stand up and shout?