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March 10, 2005
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Creator of the Video Rental Store Dies
Ah, remember the good ol' days when renting videos cost $10/day and Hollywood struggled to survive against the onslaught of rented videos? Hollywood tried to put the rental stores out of business with lawsuits but, unfortunately, failed thanks to such ridiculous copyright concepts as "first sale." Now, nearly 30 years later, as weeds and debris infest the empty soundstages of the bankrupt movie studios, word comes that Hollywood's greatest villain has met his demise. George Atkinson, who founded the first home video retail business and is credited with the murder of America's movie industry, has died (Video Rental Pioneer Atkinson Dies at 69). via BoingBoing
posted by Ernest Miller |
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Ernest Miller pursues research and writing on cyberlaw, intellectual property, and First Amendment issues. Mr. Miller attended the U.S. Naval Academy before attending Yale Law School, where he was president and co-founder of the Law and Technology Society, and founded the technology law and policy news site LawMeme. He is a fellow of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
Ernest Miller's blog postings can also be found @
1. Mike on March 11, 2005 04:52 PM writes...
Just to be clear...the original intent of the movie industry couldn't have been to put video rental stores out of business because according to the New York Times article, the first video store didn't open until 1979. The original infringement action was filed in 1976. Surveys conducted by both sides in 1978 concluded that the primary use for VTR's was "time-shifting." Then came Mr. Atkinson. He seems to have led a very interesting life. At a recent CLE here in Minnesota, two law professors argued Grokster before a meeting of the MSBA Arts and Entertainment Law Division. Dean Jon Garon, arguing for Petitioners, pointed out that a lot changed between the time the original claim was filed and the time the Supreme Court decided Sony in 1984. In other words, the Court had an opportunity to witness the technology's success. The challenge with Grokster, I think, is to not forget that there are probably other George Atkinson's out there.
Permalink to Comment2. Ernest Miller on March 11, 2005 09:37 PM writes...
The lawsuits filed against video stores were a separate action from the lawsuits filed against Sony for making the VCR.
Permalink to Comment3. Mike on March 11, 2005 09:48 PM writes...
Thanks
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