[DMCA-Activists] Mr. Rogers, Information Freedom Advocate

[Seth Johnson]

(Forwarded from Boing Boing Blog)

-------- Original Message --------
    Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 09:32:04 -0800
    From: "Xeni Jardin" <address@hidden>
      To: address@hidden


Aside from being a decent and compassionate human being, Fred Rogers 
was also a champion of fair use. From the website of the Home Recording 
Rights Coalition: 

    In [the Sony Betamax] ruling that home time-shift recording of 
television programming for private use was not copyright  infringement,
the Supreme Court relied on testimony from  television producers who did
not object to such home recording.  One of the most prominent witnesses
on this issue was Fred  Rogers. 

    The Supreme Court wrote: "Second is the testimony of Fred  Rogers,
president of the corporation that produces and owns the  copyright on
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The program is  carried by more public
television stations than any other program.  Its audience numbers over
3,000,000 families a day. He testified  that he had absolutely no
objection to home taping for  noncommercial use and expressed the
opinion that it is a real  service to families to be able to record
children's programs and to  show them at appropriate times. "

    (Excerpt from Mr. Rogers' trial testimony: ) "Some public stations, 
as well as commercial stations, program the 'Neighborhood' at  hours
when some children cannot use it. . . . I have always felt that  with
the advent of all of this new technology that allows people to  tape the
'Neighborhood' off-the-air, and I'm speaking for the  'Neighborhood'
because that's what I produce, that they then  become much more active
in the programming of their family's  television life. Very frankly, I
am opposed to people being  programmed by others. My whole approach in
broadcasting has  always been 'You are an important person just the way
you are.  You can make healthy decisions.' Maybe I'm going on too long,
but  I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active
in  the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important."

We'll miss you, Mr. Rogers.

Link: http://www.hrrc.org/history/betamax/mr_rogers.asp
Discuss: http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/yw7axtrQkxLq

(Thanks, Seth!)

--
Posted by Xeni Jardin to Boing Boing Blog at 2/28/2003 9:29:33 AM

Powered by Blogger Pro