[attrition] MPAA engages in piracy of Kirby Dick film

[security curmudgeon]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Richard Forno <rforno at infowarrior.org>
To: Infowarrior List <infowarrior at attrition.org>
Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:25:20 -0500
Subject: [Infowarrior] - MPAA engages in piracy of Kirby Dick film

MPAA engages in piracy of Kirby Dick film
http://www.slumdance.com/blogs/brian_flemming/archives/001953.html

MPAA:

     Manufacturing, selling, distributing or making copies of motion pictures
without the consent of the copyright owners is illegal. Movie pirates are
thieves, plain and simple. ALL forms of piracy are illegal and carry serious
legal consequences.

Except when we do it:

     The Motion Picture Assn. of America, the leader in the global fight
against movie piracy, is being accused of unlawfully making a bootleg copy
of a documentary that takes a critical look at the MPAA's film ratings
system.

     The MPAA admitted Monday that it had duplicated "This Film Is Not Yet
Rated" without the filmmaker's permission after director Kirby Dick
submitted his movie in November for an MPAA rating. The Hollywood trade
organization said that it did not break copyright law, insisting that the
dispute is part of a Dick-orchestrated "publicity stunt" to boost the film's
profile.

Yes, it's a publicity stunt. But the MPAA did copy a movie without
authorization. One fact doesn't negate the other.

The MPAA puts on publicity stunts all the time as part of its anti-piracy
efforts. But that doesn't mean there aren't movie pirates out there.

The MPAA needs to explain how an act they consider a great moral crime under
any circumstances is not a great moral crime when they do it:

     Anyone who sells, acquires, copies or distributes copyrighted materials
without permission is called a pirate.