Advertisements on Web Pages

[Trei, Peter]

> Tim May[SMTP:tcmay at got.net] wrote
> 
> On Wednesday, August 8, 2001, at 11:44 AM, Ray Dillinger wrote:
> > On Wed, 8 Aug 2001, Tim May wrote:
> >> (Ads could be tied-in to the content, with some light crypto or 
> >> copright
> >> protection. A "circumvention" of this liight crypto could be a DMCA
> >> violation. I would not be surprised to see this already impicated in 
> >> the
> >> DVD cases: that 5 minute period of trailors that cannot be
> >> fast-forwarded past...it's probably a violation of the DMCA to build
> >> devices which circumvent the copyright holder's plans and intents.)
> >
> > They're sticking *trailers* on movies that people *pay for??*
> >
> > Geez.. talk about destroying the value of the merchandise they're
> > trying to sell.
> 
> Yes, we have heard here (or at a physical meeting, I forget which). I 
> don't buy many DVDs, but this was discussed. Apparently the trailers and 
> ads cannot be fast-forwarded through...something built into the DVD spec 
> which allows this.
> 
> So an ad-buster which "circumvented" this would violate the DMCA, 
> presumably.
> --Tim May
> 
Commercial VHS tapes have had trailers (and occasionally ads) at the start
for several years, but they can be zapped with FF.

Over 20-30 DVDs I've seen none *forced* you to watch the
trailers - they have always been part of the 'extra features' stuff off
the main menu.

OTOH, they all *do* force you to sit through the FBI and Interpol
warnings for about 15 seconds.

BTW: my VCR has a feature that allows it to automatically
FF through ads. It works about 90% of the time, and is a very nice
thing to have.

Peter Trei