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

[Jim Bauer]

This gave me an idea.  After Sony Bono died we got stuck
with the Sony Bono Copyright Term Extention Act.  Perhaps the
below news can be turned into something positive.  How
about the "Fred Rodgers Fair Use Act"?



On 01-Mar-2003 Seth Johnson wrote:
> 
> (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
> 
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-- 
Jim Bauer, address@hidden