I'm not sure whether to laugh or just scratch my head over this one. The Computer and Communications Industry Association has filed a Federal Trade Commission complaint against the NFL, MLB, NBC Universal, and slew of Hollywood studios basically saying that those warnings we see on DVD's before and during sporting events are deceptive trade practices.
Well, they are, and anyone familiar with the underlying statutes would recognize them as such. They do misrepresent the law, but they have become so ingrained that this may be a legal fight worth winning (it is) but it is going to be one tough row to hoe in the court of public opinion. But then that probably doesn't matter anyway. And besides the Fair Use provisions (which form some of the basis of the complaints) are so murky anyway that who knows what a ruling could be.
I guess if there is any real hope of any of this changing it is that the CCIA has some clout with a membership that includes Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others. The bottom line here is that this once again proves that business can write up whatever they want in a contract and enforce it, until someone challenges it in court.
Just goes to show you that Goebbels was right. If you say something enough times it will be taken as the truth. If you say it during the 7th inning stretch, it will become fact.
Via Ars Technica
By the way you can find a great primer on Fair Use in this post.
