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calendar   Saturday - October 21, 2006

Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day

I’m sorry but this latest act of idiocy from Hollywood and the entertainment industry takes the cake. I don’t approve of pirating music or movies but I’ve thought for some time that the greedy entertainment industry moguls need to get a clue. Instead of asking why people are pirating and trying to reach a compromise, they have been taking the heavy-handed approach of filing hundreds of thousands of lawsuits ... mostly against kids.

Most pirating is done in other countries anyway but they fight it by offering cheaper prices to customers overseas (as little as $2 for a DVD in China) and taking little Johnny in Iowa to court for $15,000 in damages. What’s wrong with that picture?

Why not just rethink their pricing strategy? Could movie theatre attendance be down due to ridiculously high ticket prices? How many people want to go spend two hours in a crowded theatre for $10 and watch a lousy movie? Why do DVD’s have to cost on average about $20 each?

The computer software industry went through this in the 1980’s when Microsoft Word cost over $500 and you had to save up for months to buy Lotus 1-2-3. Hackers were pirating software all over the place. Software companies wised up and cut prices, making up the difference in more sales. Software piracy dropped off almost immediately. There are still some who do it but it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be.

Movie makers and music producers are now facing the same delimma and they are responding with lawsuits, threats and now ... brainwashing Boy Scouts as told in the story below. Instead of working with their target audience they are demanding a set price for their goods.

The old adage about “charging what the market will bear” holds true still. Maybe pirates aren’t the only ones at fault here. Maybe the products are overpriced and of such low quality that a new pricing strategy needs to be worked out. It’s called “bargaining”, something buyers and sellers have been doing for thousands of years.

I can remember when everyone had huge record collections and movie theatres were packed. Back in those days you could buy a 45 RPM single for 75¢, an album cost less than $5 and movie tickets were 50¢ or less.  On top of that, the music was much better and movies were worth watching.

Be Loyal, Kind and Don’t Steal Movies
LOS ANGELES (AP) - October 21, 2006, 5:00 AM EDT

imageimageA Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, etc., etc. He is also respectful of copyrights. Boy Scouts in the Los Angeles area will now be able to earn an activity patch for learning about the evils of downloading pirated movies and music.

The patch shows a film reel, a music CD and the international copyright symbol, a “C” enclosed in a circle. The movie industry has developed the curriculum.

“Working with the Boy Scouts of Los Angeles, we have a real opportunity to educate a new generation about how movies are made, why they are valuable, and hopefully change attitudes about intellectual property theft,” Dan Glickman, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, said in a statement Friday.

Scouts will be instructed in the basics of copyright law and learn how to identify five types of copyrighted works and three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen.

Scouts also must choose one activity from a list that includes visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy. They also can create public service announcements urging others not to steal movies or music.

Many of the Scouts in the Los Angeles area come from families whose members are somehow connected to the region’s sprawling entertainment industry, said Victor Zuniga, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Area Council.

The program is being introduced to the 52,000 Scouts in the Los Angeles area, with plans to offer it to other California councils early next year. The program will reach Scouts ages 6 to 21.

Unlike a merit badge, an activity patch is not required to advance in the Scouts. Instead, they are awarded for various recreational and educational activities, such as conservation or volunteering at a food bank.


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Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 10/21/2006 at 04:23 AM   
Filed Under: • Odd-Strange •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
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