US Bill allows DVDs to be cleaned up
The House of Representatives has adopted a Bill that will allow consumers to use software that edits out nudity or bad language from a DVD movie.
The main thrust of House Resolution 4077, also known as the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2004, is to make it illegal to smuggle a camcorder into a movie theatre, surreptitiously record a film and then circulate the homemade production on the Internet, reports The Washington Post. However, the Bill also gives federal protection to a special type of DVD player that can play cleaned-up, family-friendly versions of popular Hollywood movies. This follows reaction from the picture industry to such software. The industry claims that such technology violates copyrights, as well as artistic freedom. The Bill will, however, prohibit the removal of advertisements and promotional announcements. Full report in The Washington Post