Thank heaven for small favors. The bowdlerizers will of course continue in their repressive efforts to make their pointy-headed version of reality a fact for the rest of us.
After a bitter three-year legal battle involving Utah companies that sanitize movies on DVD and VHS tape, a federal judge in Denver ruled Thursday that such editing violates U.S. copyright laws and must be stopped.
In a ruling in the case involving CleanFlicks vs. 16 of Hollywood’s hottest directors, U.S. District Judge Richard P. Matsch found that making copies of movies to delete objectionable language, sex and violence hurts studios and directors who own the movie rights.
“Their [studios and directors] objective . . . is to stop the infringement because of its irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression in the copyrighted movies,” the judge wrote in a 16-page decision. “There is a public interest in providing such protection. Their business is illegitimate.”
No shit. Illegitimate and stupid. Either don’t watch at all, or be prepared for everything the creator of the art wanted to present the viewer. (The people in question could buy a regular copy for their personal use and fast-foward past the naughty bits, but we all know these wackjobs only really want to control the behavior of others.)
Finally, How would the bible thumpers feel if you edit the 10 commandments with charles Heston for atheists??
Hollywood is putting ideological cart before the capitalist horse. If people want to watch movies without sex, bad language and violence they should have that choice. If Hollywood gets their cut, so what. Can’t wait until this one gets to the supreme court.
The flip side of this is that the courts can be used to restrict movies in certain areas of the country based on the afore mentioned criteria using local standards.
“If people want to watch movies without sex, bad language and violence they should have that choice.”
People already have the choice to watch what they want to watch. Either watch it the way it was made, watch something ELSE, or watch nothing.
I decide what I want to watch and I screen the programs and movies my children watch.
I sure as hell don’t need some group of idiots making decisions for me or my family.
Though I DID see one of the latest Jenna Jameson flick that was edited by these guys….turns out it was only about 3 minutes long. Short and sweet…but honestly didn’t make much sense.
I live in Utah and agree these people should grow up and act like adults. However, why is it ok for broadcast television to “edit content” but not individuals?
One would think that if there were a market for “clean” versions of movies, Wal-Mart would force the hand of the movie industry, like it did to music.
No offense, but some of you seem very narrow minded. This is about fair use. If I buy a movie, I should be free to rip it to my computer, play it on my video iPod, or cut out bits that I don’t like. If I don’t want to see the one bit of sex that was inserted into an otherwise fantastic movie or television show (like the one topless sex shot in Band of Brothers), I should have every right to edit that out. And if I don’t have the technical know how to do it, I should be able to reimburse someone else for the time and effort they put into editing it for me.
No one here is trying to ram censorship down anyone else’s throat and they certainly aren’t tryint to “control the behavior of others.” If I buy the movie, I should be able to do what I want.
Don’t know why someone else is using my name darn it, but to the other Ethan… You CAN do that for yourself!!! These idiots were making money by renting/selling these edited movies!!!
Fair use is one thing, but these people who edit movies to extract that which they deem inappropriate for others and then sell or rent out those movies (sometimes under pretense or non-disclosure) are shiteheads.
Forgot this part of my comment, sorry.
– It is illegal to modify art which is covered by copyright laws and make money from it without the artists permission. Duh, if I make something and am making money selling it, you can’t change it and sell under the trade name which I am selling. Doesn’t make any sense does it?!?
Posted by Ethan:
Don’t know why someone else is using my name gosh gollay dang it, but to the other Ethan… You CAN do that for yourself!!! These intellegence deficient individuals were making money by renting/selling these cleaned up movies!!!
See I edited your comments, how do you feel now?
This is a nice little victory in the war on culture being waged by thumpers everywhere.
These people moan and complain about being persecuted for being Christians and about the sad and sorry state of morals in this nation. I have long wished they would shut the hell up because these disengenous lies are getting far more than tired.
Our children are not running wild in the streets having wild orgies.
You cannot buy cheap porn on every American street corner.
Our mainstream movies are not wall to wall tit shows.
Teachers are not recruiting kids to be homosexuals.
Nor are they offering hands on, interactive courses on deviant sex.
As for being persecuted… BY WHOM. You have one of your own as President.
The biggest problem with conservative Christians (as opposed to the millions of normal Christians that we all know, and some of us actually are) is actually that they aren’t persecuted. Dark age beliefs and intolerant attitudes need to be met with vocal opposition, but too many of us coddle these delusional Gary Bauer clones for fear of hurting their feelings.
What feelings? These whackjobs have two feelings – delusional borderline rapture, and self righteous indignance, and they can switch between them at will. Barnyard animals have a more complex palette of emotions.
these people seemed to have not heard of the ClearPlay DVD players, that allow you to change filters on the fly or per movie. granted there is a subscription based service required, perfect for the parent who is just too lazy to do actual parenting and doesnt take the time to discuss with their children why certain content might not be appropriate for them to view and then take the appropriate actions to punish them when they do view such content. plus if they are old enough, take the time to discuss and put what they have seen and into context.
No one is trying to force anyone to watch an edited film. Ironiclly, the only people trying to force the watching of something (filthy I might add) are the editors of the films. I guess Hollywood has decided that the revenue which they received from the clean versions of their films wasn’t important enough. I wouldn’t expect the customers of the edited versions to suddenly sway over to the filth that they had been avoiding. Their capital will go elsewhere.
Kamatari Honjou,
I feel much better, thank you!
Whackjobs, idiots, narrow minded. All these terms to categorize mainstream people for wanting to have some control over media content viewed by their families. Well I’m sorry but one needs to be more intelligent than resort to name calling…
Keep in mind this ruling has no affect on other types of movie editing. Case in point, check out http://www.clearplay.com.
I know of a certain network executive from ABC that would gladly replace all the naughty bits in movies with advertising, providing that the fast forward buttons on players are removed. If the movie studios get a generous cut of the advertising revenue, would that make everyone happy? Would the tight-assed prudes accept ads in place of nudity and cursing?
I really just want everyone to be happy, plus I want them to feel that their moral outrage helped bring America one step closer to the Lord.
Let me first say that I am not a prude and I don’t typically watch edited movies. However, I do appreciate the fact that there are some great movies out there that have content that is objectionable to family viewing, which is why edited movies have existed for a long time on TV, airplanes, etc.
The ruling supports the idea that no one should be able to edit another person’s artisitc work for commercial gain. I am in favor of this ruling. I also think that studios are missing out on a lot of money by not making edited versions of their own movies. When DVDs came out, we were told that multiple versions of the same movie could be found on one DVD, making way for cleaned-up versions of R-rated films. This never really happened. All we get are unrated versions that are even more risque.
But please don’t use rude generalizations against people who want to watch popular movies without some of the sex, violence, and obscenities. Just remember, if you anger some of these people enough, they’ll just get their buddies in Washington to crack down on movies, TV, and other media through universal censorship. And if you don’t think they can do it, just ask the NSA if they can tap your phone for no reason.
Interesting that this normally flays the studios for their dictatorial habits, but somehow finds ‘religion’ when a group they don’t care for trys to modify a product they own.
The idiotic, narrow minded whackjobs are not mainstream people. They are zealots.
And which of you currently have no control over what media your family consumes? There are whole catagories, genres, and networks dedicated to nothing but “clean” “wholesome” entertainment. Your TVs are equipped with tools to change the channels or even turn off the set. DVR systems offer you the chance time shift any offering you deem good for your family to meet your family’s schedule. Never before in history has consumer technology and services afforded parents a greater opportunity to raise their children in a cultural bubble.
Claims that these services are helping protect children are simply lies. And since we are going to devolve to the “I’m offended about how I’m characterized” level, let me say I am offended that the media in question is characterized as “filth” by the extremists on the right every time this discussion comes up. I have a pretty large collection of legally purchased mainstream American, foreign, and independant films on DVD, much of which carries an R rating (or the equivilent) and I get a bit worked up be people who characterize me as a consumer of porn when I’m enjoying the high quality work of great directors like Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, Ang Lee, or Stanley Kubrick (and many more).
If an actor appears nude in a scene, regardless of the context, the thumper crowd decries this porn which is, apparently, attacking their children, and scarring them for life. This collective disrespect the art, not to mention the beauty of the human form (I read it was made in God’s image) is incomprehensible and offensive.
I think every good Christian should collectively offer an extended index finger to the likes of Falwell, Robertson, Wildmon, and others who champion this blatent destruction of other artist’s work.
When I was a kid (a few years ago), we weren’t allowed to go to movies because “Christians don’t do that.” It may not have been the most enlightened viewpoint, but I think Christians today should be just as repressed as I was 😉
The first English word I learned was “sonofabitch” from a chuck norris movie.
For those of you who talk about the “thumpers” and getting them getting what they deserve and such. You should take a close look at the out right nastiness evident in many of your own statements and then congratulate yourselves on your hipocrasy. Seems the pot’s calling the kettle black.
A couple of things I’d like to point out. From my understanding of the sanitizing process, an unedited movie is purchased for every santizied film that is produced. So there is no theft taking place. Secondly no one is forcing you to go out and buy or rent the sanitized films, generally they are advertised as “clean” or “sanitized” making it very easy to avoid them. Third, induendo that anyone who would use these services are bible thumpers and/or bigots is a rather grave insult to the vast majority of people who would like to watch mainstream blockbusters but perhaps do not wish to be exposed to what may seem to them to be gratitous sex and violence that is rather prevelent in many modern films.
LOL That outfit in Utah was doing no more than what the networks have done to movies for the last 50 years. Hmm, “Gladiator” seemed a bit tamer on TNT last night than what I remember. And I do remember a full frontal nude shot of “Hot Lips” in the shower scene when I watched the original “MASH” on the big screen. And somehow, I don’t remember Bruce Willis saying “dip head” the first time I saw “Die Hard”.
Creativity my ass. It isn’t enough that Hollywood get’s its cut of the edited DVD sale, they must continue their crusade against anyone with moral values.
#6, The other Ethan, if you want to edit a movie and use it for your own use, then there is no problem. If you try to circulate the edited movie then there is a problem. You are now circulating someone else’s artistic work without their consent. You can’t do that. But you can edit it for your personal use all you want.
When Television edits the movie, it to fit into the time slot and to remove offensive content. The difference here is the Television Station rents the movie and pays a commission or fee to the studio for the rights. All of these rental contracts allow for the editing. Keep in mind that the FCC requires Television stations to hold to certain content regulations.
iscott–
The ClearPlay DVD player is probably legal, as it doesn’t change the original movie or other video. If you really feel the need to censor (Why? Are you afraid of ideas and concepts different from your own?), this might be a legal way to do it.
OTOH copying DVDs and then editing their contents and reselling or renting the results is not legal, as it is a violation of copyright. That’s the gist of the decision by the Federral District Court.
Finally, most thumpers are indeed bigots.
A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own–like yourself apparently. And the great majority of people don’t watch bowlderized films, as most people are far more tolerant of ideas other than yours.
Finally, sex is always gratuitous (as in the definition “Complimentary”) if you’re doing it right.
22 From my understanding of the sanitizing process, an unedited movie is purchased for every santizied film that is produced. So there is no theft taking place.
Thats not the impression I get from the story:
CleanFlicks is a distributor that produces copies of Hollywood blockbusters on DVD by burning a scrubbed version onto a blank disc. Those versions are then sold over the Internet and to video stores around the country who offer them for rent.
Does CleanFlicks maintain a warehouse of commercial DVDs it has purchased 1-for-1 against all the copies it has burnt onto blank DVDs?
15 Keep in mind this ruling has no affect on other types of movie editing. Case in point, check out http://www.clearplay.com.
Clearplay isn’t as popular, because it requires buying a special player, and waiting until after DVDs has be released – so the “editors” have time to note the timing of all the “naughty bits”.
As the story mentions:
While the case lumbered through the courts, President Bush signed the Family Movie Act in 2005, which legalized technologies used by companies like ClearPlay.
Because it doesn’t tamper with the original DVD, or involve producing a “scrubbed” copy of a DVD.
my issue with this logic is always the same… puritanical beliefs about what exposure youth culture and others should see is doing more harm than good…
we live in a world full of sex & violence… i find it hard to understand a logic which would hide the realities of he world from the youth being brought up in it… sure hollywood is not “reality”, but this mentality of cesorship creates a whole slather of people who are going to be ill prepared for the world within which they are entering…
hide your children from the truths of their life upcoming, watch them become the new generation of angry masses… call it over simplistic, but exposure to these realities shows window of truth to the up-and-comers, at the least giving them a bit of awareness of what to prepare themselves for…
repression leads to disfunction and obsessive compulsive behaviour, lack of knowledge or exposure to these perspectives, regardless of whether you like what is being shown or not, leads to a youth incapable of dealing with the real world…
great, another generation of people who are intolerant and incapable of dealing with the dark and dirty sides of life…
and honestly, it wouldn’t be so dark and dirty if the images weren’t painted as such!
I don’t understand the problem. These companies were not stealing movies from the producers/owners. They were simply modifying them in response to customer demands.
There is nothing new about this. Clean versions of films have been made for the airlines since they first put a projecter on an airplane. The airlines have been buy special versions. Why can’t end consumers?
I think this has nothing to do with censorship and more to do with greed. I think Hollywood is simply upset that someone else has figured out how to make money producing an improved (in the eyes of the customer) version of their product.
I think they plan to use this victory to either take over this business. Or to force these companies to license permission to make a special version.
It could be that Hollywood already has profitable contracts with the company(s) the make the airline versions of films and that they want these companies to have the exclusive right to do this task.
I am not a prude. But I’ve always felt that the V-Chip idea was a good start. I think every program needs to have a unique id number, like a UPC, on it or transmitted. I think the V-Chip should read this number.
People who wish to subscribe to a censorship service could hook their V-Chip TV to this service. All it requires is that the TV honor the requests of the censor-box. The service will then block or allow programs based on their own guidelines. The service could use the Internet like Tivo does. Or they could me mailed a monthly memory card that that they insert in their subscription box. However they think its best for their customers.
And who decides what is acceptable?
I for one would love to see less violence in TV, but I think American values on sex are repressive and a primary reason so many people here are f*cked up. I know there are people who have exactly the opposite opinion.
When you start trusting others to edit what you watch based on their taste, you have placed yourself subordinate to them.
Wal-Mart does similar things.
Music Cd’s are edited. I bought 3 cd’s there and they were edited and nothing said they were.
I bought animal house on DVD there and there were parts missing.
So its just not Utah groups.
Lets see someone take on the almighty Wal-mart
(for those curious- Rob Zombie was one disc. Another was some rap group my wife likes. manson was the 3rd one.)