My understanding is that Wal-Mart works with recording companies to explain their concerns and requirements, and the companies themselves then create versions to sell to Wal-Mart. Thus, no copyright issue is involved.
 
A similar issue has come up a couple of times in regard to Ted Turner colorizing movies. However, Turner only colorized films he owned the rights to. Thus, no copyright issues were involved.
 
With Clean Flicks, the issue wasn't merely that they were violating the law, but that they must have known that they were violating the law. Their violation of copyright was so clear cut, so egregious, so outlandish, that it could only have resulted from a conscious decision to knowingly violate copyright law. It's not that they didn't understand copyright law, but that they understood it perfectly well and didn't give a damn (to put it within a religious context).
 
Lee
 

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Leon C. Miller, Manuscripts Librarian
Special Collections, Jones Hall
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-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of James Stimpert
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 12:39 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Clean Flicks copyright case

I'm curious as to how this practice differs from Walmart's practice of selling "sanitized" versions of CDs and DVDs.  At least with music CDs, I guess the recording studios have approved the changes, in which case it's not copyright infringement.  Radio stations for decades have played versions of songs with certain words changed (one instance is Charlie Daniels Band's "Devil Went Down to Georgia"), and often the albums containing those songs have also been "cleaned up," depending on where they're being sold.  But again, this was likely done with the knowledge and cooperation (if not approval) of the studios.
 
I don't condone these companies taking movies and changing them to fit whatever "morals" they favor.  In fact, I'm surprised that - having gone that far - they didn't change the endings of a few if they didn't go along with their notions of "good is supposed to triumph over evil."  But I'm curious about how this differs from what Walmart (and maybe other large chains?) has been doing for years.
 
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James Stimpert
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