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How many times have you watched a movie you downloaded and then watched again, only to find out that you are the legal owner of the movie? Well, that’s pretty much the experience of the average Netflix user. The problem is that some people watch movies on Netflix and don’t realize they are watching them. What they don’t realize is that it is illegal to make a film recording of netflix.
Netflix, as a “platform,” is a popular site for film and video. But legally, you cannot just record a bunch of movies and then share them with others who also want to watch them. In other words, you cannot just record a video and then share it like you usually do it with YouTube or Vimeo.
The reason for this is simple, Netflix and other similar video sharing sites like Vimeo and YouTube are all in the same business, and it is illegal to market to them at all. The problem is that the content producers are not paying their fair share of the revenue from these platforms. In fact, Netflix is one of the largest contributors to Congress to help pass the current copyright reform bill, which will make it easier for content producers to make money from these platforms.
As we’ve recently seen with the recent shutdown of HBO, Vimeo is a little different. It is very hard to shut down a service that has millions of subscribers, but it is relatively easy to shut down that same company from the outside. It’s a little late for YouTube to get shut down though, so we need to ask ourselves what can be done to combat this problem.
Well, this is the tricky part. You have to look at the big picture.
One of the main issues with streaming video is the fact that it is a relatively easy matter for people to record, say, a video and then sell it on the open market. It seems that Netflix has been especially good at this. When its a popular movie, even if it is just a small part of a larger film, it gets a lot of attention online. But if you think about it, the more attention that someone gets, the smaller the chance that they will be caught.
If you’re streaming a movie from Netflix, you are probably aware that it is illegal to record the show. It’s basically against the law to make a recording of a live broadcast, and the reason it’s illegal is because it makes it easier for someone to claim copyright. If you’ve got a copy of the show and want to sell it on the open market, you have to find a way to make sure it can’t be found.
While it is true that the copyright laws of the U.S. prohibit streaming, it is also true that they don’t prohibit recording. However, that law doesn’t take into account the ability to simply record over the airwaves. A lot of people are making recordings of live broadcasts, and there’s no law against it. In fact, the Federal Communications Commission has stated that they are willing to help combat the problem.
I actually just found that out myself. Last night I got a call from a friend who works at the FCC, asking if I wanted to help them fight piracy by making sure that I dont run over their rules. Apparently, the rules prohibit the use of the airwaves to record from actual broadcasters, meaning that it’s illegal to record live broadcasts. I also asked the FCC if they could give me a number to call for help.
I was given a phone number that someone at the FCC had set up and that might be able to help answer my question. Unfortunately I don’t know the number, so I doubt I’ll be getting any help. However, the FCC is pretty open to the idea of helping people who are caught violating their rules. So far they have offered to provide me with a number, but I’m not holding my breath.
