Is it legal....

If i buy a DVD in real life and share that movie with friends from SL in SL is that legal or illegal?

Thanks
Equinox

In the eyes of the MPAA it's no different from putting it up on Youtube.

What a judge would say, I have no idea. Is a place in SL a place under the law? That's one that could go down to the wire, I suspect, depending on what court ended up hearing it.

well...i wouldnt allow everybody to see it, are all these dvd you can buy in SL than not legal?

The issue has not been decided in court yet. But you would probably not want to pay the costs of defending yourself in court. And if you did much of this, you would probably be sued.
TM

Thanks...guess no cinema than

You could always have a cinema that shows movies that are in the public domain. Admittedly, good films in that category are few and far between, but it's an option!

guess you are talking about the old movies where the licence ran out...well i was more interested in current onces

still dont get why it is not legal, if i buy a DVD and watch it with friends at home it is legal too...

If you read the statement at the begining of every DVD sold today, it will state something along the lines of NO duplication, rebroadcasting, public showing etc.. which in essence means you can watch the DVD in the comfort of your own home, presumbably with as many friends you can squeeze in around your TV screen.

If you make a copy version which is them hosted and streamed across the internet (Duplication and Rebroadcasting), then allow anyone to view it (Public Showing) then you are in breach of several laws. For the most part, the big film corps wouldn't notice what you are doing, however it only wants one person to report you and you could find yourself defending yourself in a test case.

Encapsulated platforms like SL are much easier to 'find' those in breach of the law, as opposed to trawling the vast space of the internet (like fishing in a barrel). However, the cyber cops can use simple methods of trawling software to automatically create a database of movies that are rebroadcasted over the internet. The risks are as always, yours.

In practice the likelihood that anyone would get in trouble for this are small. The MPAA has never been involved in the same kind of pettifoggery and barratry that the RIAA engages in, and even if they were the court case would be a circus... and any potential claimant would know that.

But in theory?

Go read Lessig's book "Free Culture" and boggle.

What if i squeeze as many friends around my SL tv

They made provision for that in the Duplication and Rebroadcasting statement..

Seriously though, as most movies these days include music, you may find the first knock on the door could come from that copyright direction.

There will come a time when the net will literaly be cast by trawler bots, once a test case is done in the courts, they may decide to contact web-hosts and demand that they moderate any potential ilegal media being hosted, rather than spend loads of money persuing individuals (unless you are a mass rebroadcaster making real money).
On a lot of hosting websites like YouCrude, Blip, ning blogs etc, you will see more and more, where you check a box saying that you do have rights to make a copy of the media. This will give those that will be watching for ilegal media, the leverage to apply the law. It will come.. more a case of when and what the ramifications will be.

ok thanks! will not touch it