Preemptive strike

Having tried for years to catch up with the digital "file sharing" explosion (and its subsequent influence on the collective bottom line of the film industry), the MPAA is taking steps to make the showing of copyrighted films in unsanctioned home theaters illegal. From the article:

The MPAA defines a home theater as any home with a television larger than 29" with stereo sound and at least two comfortable chairs, couch, or futon. Anyone with a home theater would need to pay a $50 registration fee with the MPAA or face fines up to $500,000 per movie shown.

"Just because you buy a DVD to watch at home doesn't give you the right to invite friends over to watch it too. That's a violation of copyright and denies us the revenue that would be generated from DVD sales to your friends," said Glickman. "Ideally we expect each viewer to have their own copy of the DVD, but we realize that isn't always feasible. The registration fee is a fair compromise."

The article also states that "various motion sensors and biometric technology" will be used to track the number of viewers and details about what is being show.

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OK… so, it's satire. But, given some of the recent activities of the MPAA, it would be fair to assume that your fair-use rights for digital materials you have legally paid for will be under fire for the foreseeable future. Is not being allowed to rip DVDs to your video iPod the newest definition of unbearable suffering? Well, probably not. But, it is still irritating.