, it gets crazier. You think that broadcasters can’t possibly be proposing what I suggested? Consider the following scenario: “Sitcom X” is a 22 minute show, and along with specific ads, the whole thing is a copyright owned by station Y. By turning on your TV to the program, you (immediately?) agree to watch the whole presentation of that program – those are the terms of service you have agreed to by tuning in to the channel.
Now, it’s 10 minutes later. You have to go to the bathroom. Hang on! According to the owner of the copyright you just agreed to, according to your contract, you must watch the entire show. Following the reasoning of the broadcasters (or the head end suppliers, since not all of them actually broadcast anything), you can’t go to the bathroom – that is in violation of the copyright.
If you think I’m nuts, here you go (from an Inside interview with Jamie Kellner, Chair and CEO of Turner Broadcasting):
JK: Because of the ad skips…. It’s theft. Your contract with the network when you get the show is you’re going to watch the spots. Otherwise you couldn’t get the show on an ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you’re actually stealing the programming.
CW: What if you have to go to the bathroom or get up to get a Coke?
JK: I guess there’s a certain amount of tolerance for going to the bathroom.
Kellner says straight out that it’s a crime, in his view, for TV viewers to go to the bathroom during a program. They’ll tolerate it, but it’s a crime nonetheless.
