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[dvd-discuss] Skipping commercials is theft.



> JK: Because of the ad skips.... It's theft. Your
> contract with the network when you get the
> show is you're going to watch the spots.
> Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an
> ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a
> commercial or watch the button you're actually
> stealing the programming.

Bovine Excrement.

The only contract between the network and The
People is in the form of the FCC license.

Under the terms of the licensing contract, the People,
as represented by the Government,  authorize the
Network to utilize a portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum for the purpose of television broadcasts.

In exchange, the Network agrees to provide certain
public services, such as providing news broadcasts
and educational programming.

That's the entire contract between his network and
the People.  No part of this contract requires the
People to sit through commercials if they don't want to.

Mr. Kellner should be reminded that if the existence
and widespread adoption of PVRs make it no longer
economically viable for his particular corporation to
provide television service, he is perfectly free to
relinquish his FCC broadcast license, and allow some
other corporation or interest to attempt to profitably
offer television broadcast programming under the
same terms.

In any case, he should stop accusing the general
public of some sort of "contract violation" for not
sitting through commercials.  Not only does it have
absolutely no basis in fact, but  it's just plain insulting.

- John M Schulien
   jms@uic.edu