Anyone hear about Bill S.978?

[Blandflakes]

Excuse me, but why is everyone so misinterpreting the bill?

"Makes *unauthorized* web streaming of *copyrighted* content a felony with a possible penalty of up to 5 years in prison."

Notice those two words. It's just further enforcing the copyright laws that we already have.

Unauthorized.
As in, they will have to have permission from Gabe Newell to record an HL:E2 video and post it on Youtube.

Relax kid, you actually think the police will track down all those millions of people who've recorded such videos and put them in jail?

No.
But, anyone who records them in the future will.

Yeah like the millions of people in the future will get tracked down. If the law is like you claim it is then the prisons will have about half of the US population in them.

[toast]

anonymous will not be happy

[Duck]

Proud to be British.

[Qwertygiy]

This basically means that you if you upload the opening cutscene to Super Mario Galaxy to YouTube, without editing it, you *could* get fined.

Taking a movie of yourself defeating Bowser and uploading it to YouTube? So long as it's not one big cutscene, I would think that's fine.

And remember, just because it's a law doesn't mean it will be enforced. It's illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder in Massachusets, yet I don't think anyone's been arrested for that.


As for unauthorized, this basically means against the written terms squiggled away in the manual for the game. You know, like books always have a clause on the copyright page that says "No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission" or etc.

Unless the game has a clause written somewhere that says "Play of this game may not be recorded and stored in any form of media except without written permission" or something like that, I think then that's fine. I have several hours on old VHS tapes of Cars the videogame and Matt Hoffman BMX 2.

[Blandflakes]

Proud to be British.

The video would still be taken off of youtube

[Duck]

Proud to be British.

The video would still be taken off of youtube

I could still find an english video sharing site

---

This basically means that you if you upload the opening cutscene to Super Mario Galaxy to YouTube, without editing it, you *could* get fined.

Taking a movie of yourself defeating Bowser and uploading it to YouTube? So long as it's not one big cutscene, I would think that's fine.

And remember, just because it's a law doesn't mean it will be enforced. It's illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder in Massachusets, yet I don't think anyone's been arrested for that.


As for unauthorized, this basically means against the written terms squiggled away in the manual for the game. You know, like books always have a clause on the copyright page that says "No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission" or etc.

Unless the game has a clause written somewhere that says "Play of this game may not be recorded and stored in any form of media except without written permission" or something like that, I think then that's fine. I have several hours on old VHS tapes of Cars the videogame and Matt Hoffman BMX 2.

It doesn't actually mean that, although I believe it's meant to.

The wording actually suggests that putting up a let's play would be illegal.

As well as other things, such as singing copyrighted songs and putting them on youtube

[Fish]

fghjikoirukloer09.. Now where shall I turn if I am stuck on a Video Game?!

[Spongebob1212]

FFFFFFFFFFFFF-

[BuildistGuard]

I would start a riot and if they don't remove it, I will start a bloody uprising.

[Login]

It will be tried and removed for being unconstitutional. It breaks the fair use clause and the first amendment.

You could (should) send this to the Supreme Court. Or Court.