valenti

[Chris Brand]

>    "If a movie is no longer under copyright do you think the public is 
>    going to notice it? Is the movie theater or the cable channel showing 
>    it or the store renting it going to give it to you for free?'

I made the point in my recent Toastmasters speech that if "ET" were Public Domain,
there could have been competition in the production of "20th Anniversary"
releases, which would therefore likely have been either cheaper or higher
quality or both.

I suspect that it would make a big difference to cable companies, too. I could
see some of the "Old Movie" channels either dropping prices substantially,
reducing ads significantly or being a lot more profitable (it would be interesting
to find out how the costs of that kind of channel break down).

He doesn't mention the person who wants to *buy* videotapes or DVDs, of course,
which is where I suspect you'd see a big difference.

Chris
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