From: bolden@beta.math.unc.edu (Jeffrey Bolden)
Subject: Re: Why can't the liberals just admit that public education has failed? (Re: The New Education President)
Organization: University of North Carolina
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 21:06:53 GMT

In article <1993Jan9.150409.7535@nmsu.edu> dsteinbe@nmsu.edu (David Steinberg) writes:
>In article <1993Jan7.233831.23174@samba.oit.unc.edu> bolden@beta.math.unc.edu (Jeffrey Bolden) writes:
>>In article <C0I0xJ.MLL@rice.edu> ervan@rice.edu (Ervan Darnell) writes:
>>>
>>>
>>>My first reaction is: what about radar detectors?  I have always thought they
>>>should be legal under the notion that radio signals are public.
>>>Of course, this begs the question of what does 'content' mean in
>>>this context.  How can I not receive the content of something unless
>>>I am wholesale prevented from receiving the signal?  I.e. does it make
>>>any sense to say you can receive a signal but not try to understand
>>>it?
>>>
>>>How about this for an analogy: someone carelessly drops a copyrighted
>>>novel on your lawn.  Are you permitted to 'receive' it (i.e. pick
>>>it up) but not to read it?  It seems to me that in this case the copy
>>>of it is yours, but that implies nothing about the rights to the work.
>>>Why not the same with radio waves?  If you receive them (passively)
>>>the instance is yours but that doesn't give you the right to rebroadcast
>>>or otherwise infringe on the copyright.
>>
>>
>>	Actually your analogy of the radar detector is a good one.  I
>>guess to use your language yes, you have the right to receive signal but
>>no right to try and understand it.  The anonlogy of the copyrighted book
>>is also good.  When the author sells the book he is giving the possessor
>>of the book his permission to read it, but not to duplicate, alter,
>>republish, etc... it.  The person sending out radar signals is simply not
>>giving yourthe right to "read" his signals.  Seems perfectly legitimate to
>>me.  
>>
>>--JMB
>
>How is this legitimate?  The reason I say that signals appearing in my
>house are my property is the following.  Suppose WPDH is broadcasting
>the entirity of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.  Suppose that for some
>reason I want this album.  As far as I know, it is perfectly legal to
>go out to your local Wal Mart and buy yourself an XL II and record it
>off of the radio- EVEN THOUGH it is copyrighted material.  Similarly,
>if HBO is showing Godzillia Versus the Smog Monster, I can make myself
>a video tape of this.  Moreover, I could make 17 tapes of it (if I had
>that many VCR's) and give them to my friends.  Therefore, I'd say that
>the normal restrictions on copyrights do not hold in this situation...
>
>-David "ZZYZX" Steinberg- King of the ellipses
>       (dsteinbe@emmy.nmsu.edu)

	'fraid not Dave.  Your not legally allowed to tape songs off the
radio.  That's a violation of the owners copyright.  Further, your not
even allowed to play the on the radio without their consent (though as far
as I know all the labels allow you to play any of there albums, but there
is no reason that one lable couldn't hypothetically refuse this consent).  
	As for your videotape, not only would you be violating copyright
laws, but then you would be distributing stolen property.  Now your
getting into an area where the police would probably press charges, unlike
the above, that is illegal, but unenforced.

__JMB