Jack Valenti's Side Of The Story
from the yes,-but... dept
Dan Gillmor has written a number of columns bashing the entertainment industry for their heavy handed actions that hurt consumers. Apparently, Jack Valenti from the MPAA hasn’t been to pleased. So, Gillmor agreed to listen to Valenti’s side of the story, and present what he said without adding his opinion… yet. Later this week Gillmor will respond to Valenti’s points. Everything Valenti has to say is what he’s been saying all along – that the movie industry wants to give consumers content – but only if they’re not sharing it. He insists that people being able to share content will destroy the movie industry (even though his identical claims about the VCR turned out to not only be wrong, but to provide the opposite effect – helping to grow the movie industry into an even bigger powerhouse). Valenti has the reputation for having a silver tongue, and saying things so eloquently that they must make sense. However, I’m wondering why no one has ever asked him point blank about his “Boston strangler” comment about VCRs or to explain why digital distribution can’t also grow the industry.
