Comments on: Motor City Bust Eyewitness Report

By: Michael Denton

Michael Denton — Thu, 25 May 2006 20:09:28 +0000

I come from a less positive assumption, which is they know full well they are doing the wrong thing and don’t care because it bring in good revenue.

The fact that some retailers talk about being “smart” in how they distribute these bootlegs would seem to support my supposition for several of them.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Thu, 25 May 2006 15:53:10 +0000

Presumably, if they thought what they were doing was wrong, they wouldn’t be doing it in the first place.

By: Michael Denton

Michael Denton — Thu, 25 May 2006 15:29:37 +0000

Wow, I’m glad ethics don’t stand in the way of these retailers learning the wrong lessons.

By: James kosmicki

James kosmicki — Wed, 24 May 2006 22:01:04 +0000

my understanding about TV shows is that since they are broadcast, the law is much more gray about whether you can tape and share them. where you run afoul of copyright with broadcast material is when you can be found to be infringing on the copyright owner’s right to profit. That’s why so many dealers focus on unreleased shows. once a show is legitimately released, you can be found to be encroaching on their ability to distribute and profit much more obviously. of course, there’s a good argument that non-authorized releases infringe on their ability to ultimately profit, since every buyer of the unauthorized is potentially one less buyer of the later, authorized release.

I would also guess that since the RIAA is the recording industry (including video recordings, I believe), it may not be working for the television studios and producers, and thus not concerned with their products.

By: James Schee

James Schee — Wed, 24 May 2006 21:26:54 +0000

I wonder why TV shows would be excluded?

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 24 May 2006 17:08:54 +0000

Or maybe they’re not willing to pay overtime for enforcers to work on the weekend? I dunno. Since that part is retailer gossip, maybe it’s just urban legend.

By: Ed Sizemore

Ed Sizemore — Wed, 24 May 2006 15:12:22 +0000

So according to the RIAA, bootlegging on happens on the weekdays? Or do they hope that intimidation will keep the rest of the dealers honest? Neither option seems wise. Especially, since the dealers know the system and how to get around it.