On September 28, the House approved, by voice vote, an anti-piracy bill (H.R. 4077) that includes the text of the Family Movie Act (H.R. 4586). The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure on September 8 (see The Source, 9/10/04).
Sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the Family Movie Act would exempt from copyright protection and trademark laws technology and software designed to filter out unwanted audio and video content on a DVD or videotape for individual consumers as long as no fixed copies are created. The bill would require that the software manufacturers provide clear and conspicuous notice that the movie being shown has been altered in a way that was unintended by the director or copyright holder. The notification requirement would apply only to technology manufactured 180 days after the bill’s enactment.
Rep. Smith lauded inclusion of the Family Movie Act in the anti-piracy bill, stating, “Parents should have the right to watch any movie they want and to skip over or mute any content they find objectionable. This legislation ensures that parents have the final say in what their children watch in the privacy of their own home and that parents can act in the best interest of their children. Parents need all the help they can get in protecting their children from the sex, violence, and profanity found in many movies; and parents should be able to determine what their children see on the screen. Technology that helps parents accomplish this should be applauded, and H.R. 4077 ensures that this technology will not face continued legal challenges.”
