Copyright

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Using Microsoft Photo Story, I have created a number of mini videos of my holiday experiences and set them to music. Three of these, I have posted on Facebook. Harmless enough, I thought, and I am not making money out of them.

Oh, no, the copyright police have found me, deleted the videos and warned me that if I am caught again, then I will be banned from Facebook. Can't say I am too bothered about the latter; it is just a whimsy and I have managed for 64 years without it. Its the principle which bothers me - three minutes or fewer shared with private friends and in come the heavy mob.

Sure artistes need remuneration for their efforts but is there really a need to extend their money grabbing down to this level? Ah, but you may say, 'if you get away with it, where will it end?' Crap, my little videos, of which I own the images, will never make money so let me be.

The entertainment industry constantly bemoans the loss of revenue from piracy and quotes huge sums for this. It seems to be based on the fallacious assumption that if you hadn't bought a pirate copy, you would have bought an overpriced genuine one. That's crap too. They don't sell singles anymore, just albums and they are no different from the days before the Compact Cassette - 12 tracks of which 4 are good, two are acceptable and the rest not worth listening to.

Movies? Well the good ones make loads, piracy or not and the bummers sink as they deserve.

To listen to these copyright people, you could be forgiven for thinking that Whitney Houston, Take That, Microsoft and J K Rowling were on the breadline.

Fuck 'em, I ain't paying.