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From: lauren@Rand-Unix.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: videotape vs. software
Message-ID: <12137@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Apr-84 19:08:15 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12137
Posted: Mon Apr  9 19:08:15 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 00:58:37 EST
Lines: 13

The Supreme Court recently determined that home taping of broadcast
video was legal under the "fair use" doctrine, since it is typically
used simply as a time shift device for the viewer's convenience.
In other words, the viewer could have watched a program directly if
they had been around, and it is OK for them to tape such a program
so that they can watch it later.  Such taping does not give them 
access to anything they would not otherwise have had.  

On the other hand, renting a videotape from some store and making a copy
for yourself does not fall under fair use and is a closer analogy
to the software piracy problem.

--Lauren--