[BC] Arrested for just telling people wheretofindCopywrited material

[Cowboy]

On Monday 22 October 2007 08:42 pm, Broadcast List wrote:

>    Also, if you have 15,000  
>  of your closest friends over to watch a movie, and no one is charged  
>  admission, that DVD is just fine.
>  
>  -chip

 While that was true at one time, I clearly remember the days of Video Cipher,
 when that "law" ( the Communications Act ) was changed to make it illegal
 to receive, distribute, or even view ANY content for which there is a fee,
 and you have not paid it in a way determined by the "provider" in sharp
 contrast to the previous version which said rather clearly that one could
 receive without restriction ANY signal propagating onto your land, but could
 not reveal the content to anyone else.

 I clearly remember the explanations that if you were subscribed to, say, HBO
 on the BUD in your back yard ( I was ) and that if your mother, or brother,
 happened by and saw even a few minutes of an HBO "broadcast" that you
 were in violation, and subject to prosecution. ( persecution ? )
 This, of course, was aimed primarily at Super Bowl parties of the time, 
 making it technically illegal to have one without paying appropriate
 royalties.

 Today, I'm not so sure, unless, of course, you are covertly recording a private
 cell phone conversation ( to which you are not a party ) with intent of
 publicly distributing the content in order to destroy a politician
 of a particular party. That's perfectly fine. 

-- 
Cowboy