Our class interview with Ruxandra Ciobanu concluded on a note of illegality... the globally accepted kind that governments are having a hard time nailing: free distribution of copyrighted materials online.
I am currently in the Grady Communication Law class and our professor and author of the course text book, admits that current U.S. copyright laws are insufficient for regulating open forum websites such as YouTube. The early law did not foresee a medium such as YouTube being so public and common for anyone to post nearly any video/audio, available for viewing and downloading.
Dr. A mentioned a time when telenovela studios deleted files of many, many full episodes previously available online, and now there are viewing restrictions according to country. Certain novelas are available in certain locations around the world.
And yet, the public will find a way to watch what they want to watch. Dr. A admits that it is sometimes with a thin hope that the industry won't find out. On the other hand, Ciobanu said she waited YEARS for Ciudad Bendita to become available for her, in Eastern Europe, to watch online.
What is the standard? The Internet is global, so should the standards for illegal downloading be global as well?
Nearly all the popular U.S. TV series are now available to watch on sites like Hulu and even YouTube, despite the fact that our government is perhaps the most strict in regulating copyright practices, performances and technology. Could it be that a global trend towards immediate post-broadcast online availability has begun?
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It's a bit like the music industry now. Everyone wants everything to be free and available. How do you control something like that? How do you limit stories from being passed around on the internet? Networks make more money from television then shows watched off the internet. I think it's a 4 to 1 ratio: you need four internet watchers to make the same amount from advertising as one tv watcher. They deserve to make the money, but should people be forced to wait for years?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hanna, it's a very tricky subject. Not only that but in puts networks and writers in a very awkward position because without filesharing and illegal downloading would they become as popular as they are in countries such as Romania? Sure these countries have networks that buy telenovelas but if all you are getting are telenovelas from Mexico and you read online about a great Brazilian one that you know no network is ever going to pick up (and you know will never be released on dvd) what other options do you have?
ReplyDeleteWhen I learned about regional allowances for the first time I was in Spain this past summer. I wanted to have a little taste from home, and since we didnt have a tv in our rooms, we had to resort to watching tv online. When I went to abc.com or fox.com to watch my favorite shows- I couldn't do it! I was mortified. Then,we discovered greatstufftv.com and it saved my life. I watched Weeds from beginningto end, along with my favorite episodes of Family Guy and South Park. Another issue was when the DVDs I brought wouldn't play on the dvd player in the common room. I never realized certain dvds need certain dvd players.
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