The Issue of Copyright in Television and Film

Copyright infringement of television and film, has been a problem for quite some time. In most major cities, individuals can obtain illegal copies of most movies for about a quarter the price of a legally obtained copy. Illegal copies of movies are sold on street corners, in stores and out of vehicles. The police can not usually stop the blatant copyright infringement due to the sheer size of the operations. In fact, many criminals do not take the threat of enforcement of copyright protection laws very seriously. In addition to the criminal organizations, many individuals make copies of movies that they share with friends. Copyright infringement is a growing problem that is difficult to control due to the nature of the relationship between media and technology. Sometimes, people violate copyright protection laws without realize it. For example, many videos are copyright protected in a manner that forbids them from being utilized in a public forum. For example, teachers may inadvertently violate some copyright protection laws by playing certain videos in their classrooms. However, that is only usually the case if a group of individuals is charged a fee to view the movie. For example, some towns host movie nights and invite the public to view a movie on a large screen at a park. Generally, that would not violate copyright protection laws, unless the town charges patrons to attend. However, there are some obvious forms of copyright infringement as it applies to television and films. For example, individuals can not enter a movie theatre and record a movie, simply because they paid for a ticket into the the theatre. That ticket only grants that individual the right to view the movie on that one occasion. In addition, many people rent movies and make copies of them before returning them to the video store. This is a violation of copyright protection laws. Many times, individuals are not familiar with the intricacies of copyright infringement violations. In fact, some people violate the law without even realizing it. However, it is the criminal enterprises that survive from selling merchandise while committing copyright infringement, that are one of the bigger problems for the industry. Copyright infringement will continue to be a problem, as long as new technology continues to emerge at a pace faster than new laws do. The entertainment industry loses billion of dollars every year due to the crime. Due to the loss of revenue, patrons that legally view movies are forced to pay higher prices. Consumers often have the cost of crimes passed onto them through higher entertainment fees. As emerging technology is utilized for copyright protection, it is also used by criminals to commit copyright infringement.