From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
> Subject: Steal This Show
> By LORNE MANLY and JOHN MARKOFF
> ISAAC RICHARDS didn't think of himself as a rebel, or a shock to the
> well-lubricated system of the television industry. He was merely
> unhappy with the cable box provided by his local operator....
[snip]
> Millions of viewers are now watching illegal copies of
> television programs -- even full seasons copied from popular DVD's --
> that are flitting about the Internet, thanks to other new programs
> that allow users to upload and download the large files quickly....
To which PAT added:
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Gee, you mean I can't steal a NYT article about stealing cable television
programming?
This reminds me of a panel discussion I watched on C-SPAN several
years ago. The subject was theft-of-service, and two of the panelists
were Tom Wheeler (then head of the NCTA) and Jack Valenti (then head
of the MPAA). Jack had recently published a book about
theft-of-service, apparently including accusations that the cable
industry was contributing to the motion-picture industry's
theft-of-service problem. When it came Tom's turn to speak, be began
by congratulating Jack on his new book. Grinning broadly, he pulled
out a sheaf of papers, and continued ... "In fact, I liked it so much
that I xeroxed it!"
Neal McLain
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you remember a famous book which
came out in the 1970's entitled oddly enough, 'Steal This Book' ?
That was the book's title. Many bookstores refused to stock it. PAT]
Neal McLain (nmclain@annsgarden.com)