Just read this on IMDB: “CBS on Thursday yanked a commercial for Gateway Computers that showed consumers how to copy music legally over the Internet and called for them to urge their representatives to vote against rules requiring computer manufacturers to include anti-piracy devices in their products. CBS favors such devices.”I find that quite disturbing. Not only because it suggests CBS picks and chooses commercials which serve it best, but that this is another reminder of how television, when it goes digital, will no longer be a public property but will be under the complete control of the broadcaster. They will be able to decide which programs we are allowed to copy — not for “rebroadcast”, as they say during MLB games, but just to view at a later time. Our basic right of “fair use” and “time-shifting”, which had been upheld by the Supreme Court in the Betamax v Disney case, have already been taken away from us. But we won’t know it until we upgrade TVs.
The Gateway commercial ends with a link to website, Rip, Burn, Respect, that, in the words of a Gateway spokesman, “aims to deter piracy while educating consumers about their rights.”
“We believe it’s more important than ever,” says the site, “that the rights of music fans and artists alike be understood and respected.” But instead of allowing people to be educated, CBS has quashed the ad. To quote Stephen Colbert (from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show), “There’s a word for that; but, ironically, it escapes me.”
According to the Detroit News‘s article, “Dana McClintock, a spokesman for CBS, said the network is still reviewing the Gateway commercial […] and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of airing it later.” The ad is reportedly being shown on cable outlets and also NBC. You can read about broadcast flags in digital television at EFF.org
