Disney's Eisner Attacks Apple (and Others) In Front Of Congress
From the Hollywood Reporter:
Mouse grouse: Dis boss lays into computer biz
March 01, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Walt Disney Co. president and CEO Michael Eisner accused some computer manufacturers of profiting from copyright piracy during a contentious hearing Thursday before the Senate Commerce Committee. "The killer app for the computer industry is piracy," Eisner told the committee during its hearing examining copyright problems in the digital realm. "They think their short-term growth is predicated on pirated content." Eisner's words came during an extraordinary hearing during which Eisner, News Corp. president and chief operating officer Peter Chernin and Intel executive vp Leslie Vadasz asked one another as many questions as the lawmakers asked them. Eisner told the panel that he was convinced that some computer manufacturers had adopted a unspoken sales-through-piracy doctrine after it was mentioned last year during a conference on broadband in Washington. He also cited advertising that computer makers were using that encouraged people to buy their products to burn CDs and DVDs. While he said some information technology companies believed in copyright protection, he singled out Apple's "Rip. Mix. Burn." ad campaign, saying the company was telling people "that they can create a theft if they buy this computer." (Brooks Boliek)
Mouse grouse: Dis boss lays into computer biz
March 01, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Walt Disney Co. president and CEO Michael Eisner accused some computer manufacturers of profiting from copyright piracy during a contentious hearing Thursday before the Senate Commerce Committee. "The killer app for the computer industry is piracy," Eisner told the committee during its hearing examining copyright problems in the digital realm. "They think their short-term growth is predicated on pirated content." Eisner's words came during an extraordinary hearing during which Eisner, News Corp. president and chief operating officer Peter Chernin and Intel executive vp Leslie Vadasz asked one another as many questions as the lawmakers asked them. Eisner told the panel that he was convinced that some computer manufacturers had adopted a unspoken sales-through-piracy doctrine after it was mentioned last year during a conference on broadband in Washington. He also cited advertising that computer makers were using that encouraged people to buy their products to burn CDs and DVDs. While he said some information technology companies believed in copyright protection, he singled out Apple's "Rip. Mix. Burn." ad campaign, saying the company was telling people "that they can create a theft if they buy this computer." (Brooks Boliek)
Comments
The main problem with Eisner and the rest of the people like him is that they are so out of touch with technology and the terminology that goes with it. When Apple says "Rip.Mix.Burn" we all know that "Rip" is a term used for extracting audio from your CD. These corporate mucky-mucks think that it means to steal. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
Why can't I be the CEO of a big company....Oh yeah, I'd probably run it into the ground <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
LEts divide people into two group: Those who know how to pirate music and those who don´t
Those who do know will say "hey a Mac with a cdr. Maybe I should buy one of those for my criminal needs"
Those who don´t will say "What can that computer do for me?" then see the rip, mix, burn commercial and say "Wow I can make my own compilations out of my own Cds". Of course they are a pretty clever bunch of people (they consider buying macs so of course they are) so soon they will figure out "Maybe, just maybe it can do the same if I borrow some CDs from my neigbour? WOW IT WORKED"
Apple doesn´t endorse piracy with their commercials. The mere fact that a computer have CDr drives (and ADSL, cable and even cd-rom drives) endorse it. But of course Disney would look plain stupid if they tried to target that.
[ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: MacsRGood4U ]</p>
I figure that if i already own the CD then there should be no problem with me ripping it for my own use.
Now if the ad was Rip. Share. Burn. I could see the problem.
J :cool:
pepper
<strong>Copyright law does allow a person to make a copy of audio or video for his or her own use from a legal source.</strong><hr></blockquote>
So if I borrow my friends CD and put the songs into iTunes its legal? I only thought it was here in Denmark the law was that liberal.
<strong>
So if I borrow my friends CD and put the songs into iTunes its legal? I only thought it was here in Denmark the law was that liberal.</strong><hr></blockquote>
No I think you have to own the original copy.
J :cool:
But Crusader is right that ripping/burning DVDs isn't there yet. Too much of a pain, and too expensive. But that'll change.
This is just part of a bigger agenda. The imac has made some headlines and the anti apple establishment need to hit it a little.
Face it, the gy is almost purely responsible for the downfall of Disney. Walt was the man, but without him the company went morally bankrupt.
A superdrive cannot do this, unless you have the right pirat software ...
J :cool:
<strong>Just to put a different perspective into this thread, I have to say that Eisner is right. Hardware manufacturers see software piracy as a good thing. And the growth of CD-R was driven in large part - probably mostly - by napster.
But Crusader is right that ripping/burning DVDs isn't there yet. Too much of a pain, and too expensive. But that'll change.</strong><hr></blockquote>
that's ridiculous. i was ripping app and game cd's long before i was ripping mp3's, and so was everyone else.
<a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/991224.html"; target="_blank">Did Disney's The Lion King rip off and old Japanese TV series?</a>
<a href="http://www.cs.indiana.edu/hyplan/tanaka/Tezuka_Disney/Tezuka_Disney.html"; target="_blank">Tezuka's "Jungle King" and Disney's "Lion King"</a>
During the '90s, whenever a network showed a rerun of Kimba The White Lion, they changed the intro, so that the words "Lambert The White Lion" were splashed across the screen, instead of "Kimba..." I believe this had something to do over the Disney thing. And yes, Kimba DID exist before Simba, but Disney is the more powerful of the two. Just like when Bluto (on Popeye) became Brutus, because Disney said it sounded too much like Pluto. (Once again, Bluto existed BEFORE Pluto) Disney is a very strong, evil empire.
iTunes is licensed for reproduction of materials the user is legally permitted to reproduce. When you sync with an iPod that is also taken into consideration. The least that Eisner could do is to attack all of the computer companies equally.
Perhaps Apple does add little "Don't Steal Music" disclaimers, but it knows fine well that a huge number of customers intend to use the equipment to rip songs from friends CDs, or to provide copies of albums to friends, or download MP3s from the internet.
The most important issue is whether it's individuals at home that are perpetrating the piracy that the industry has a problem with, or large-scale criminal operations.
If it's the latter, then what does it matter if people are ripping CDs? If it's the former, then perhaps the industry should be looking at its pricing and release policies before blaming the consumer.
[ 03-03-2002: Message edited by: Belle ]</p>