Saturday, June 25, 2005

Digital rights: where to draw the line?

Assuming I'm paying for cable TV, and all of the series in question are aired on the networks I'm paying for, which of the following are legal? Should any be illegal? Are any immoral?

  • I watch every episode of Series X as they are broadcast.
  • I watch most episodes of Series X as they are broadcast, but occasionally I'll record an episode if I can't make the normal broadcast time, and watch it later.
  • I have a Tivo, and record every episode of Series X. I watch all of the episodes some time after they are broadcast.
  • I have a Tivo, and record every episode of Series X. I watch all of the episodes some time after they are broadcast. Sometimes I'll watch episodes of Series Y while my Tivo is recording episodes of Series X
  • I have two Tivos (or one multi-tuner Tivo), and I record every episode of Series X and Series Y. The two series are only broadcast at the same time, so there's no practical way I could've watch both series without "time-shifting".
  • I accidentally deleted an episode before watching it:
    • I borrow a tape of the episode a friend recorded from TV so I can watch the episode.
    • I borrow a DVD a friend burned from his Tivo so I can watch the episode.
    • A friend emails the episode to me.
    • A friend gives me the password to his personal website where he's put up a copy of the episode for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where he's put up a copy of the episode for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where someone has put up a copy of the episode I can download.
    • Google tells me about a public website where someone has put up a copy of the episode I can download.
    • Google tells me about a .torrent for the episode so I can download it.
  • I forget to tell my Tivo to record an episode:
    • I borrow a tape of the episode a friend recorded from TV so I can watch the episode.
    • I borrow a DVD a friend burned from his Tivo so I can watch the episode.
    • A friend emails the episode to me.
    • A friend gives me the password to his personal website where he's put up a copy of the episode for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where he's put up a copy of the episode for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where someone has put up a copy of the episode I can download.
    • Google tells me about a public website where someone has put up a copy of the episode I can download.
    • Google tells me about a .torrent for the episode so I can download it.
  • I find out about a new series half-way through the season. The old episodes aren't being aired anymore, so:
    • I borrow a tape of the episodes a friend recorded from TV so I can watch the episode.
    • I borrow a DVD a friend burned from his Tivo so I can watch the episodes.
    • A friend emails the episodes to me.
    • A friend gives me the password to his personal website where he's put up copies of the episodes for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where he's put up a copies of the episode for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where someone has put up copies of the episodes I can download.
    • Google tells me about a public website where someone has put up a copies of the episodes I can download.
    • Google tells me about .torrents for the episodes so I can download them.
  • I find out about a series that started before I even had cable. The old episodes aren't being aired anymore, so:
    • I borrow a tape of the episodes a friend recorded from TV so I can watch the episode.
    • I borrow a DVD a friend burned from his Tivo so I can watch the episodes.
    • A friend emails the episodes to me.
    • A friend gives me the password to his personal website where he's put up copies of the episodes for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where he's put up a copies of the episode for me to download.
    • A friend tells me about a public website where someone has put up copies of the episodes I can download.
    • Google tells me about a public website where someone has put up a copies of the episodes I can download.
    • Google tells me about .torrents for the episodes so I can download them.
posted Saturday, June 25, 2005 (6 comments)