I recently discovered VidAngel, an innovative company in copyrights, and streaming.
There could be a lesson here for Steemit and I imagine voluntarist might be interested in sticking it to the big business of copyright.
Vid Angels Superior Library is Driven by Exploiting a Copyright Loophole
If you allow a user to buy (instead of rent) a movie and alter it ( they do this by editing out content like foul language), you can stream a movie. Then they then offer to buy the movie back within a day.Here's how it works:
Get the channel from Roku or go directly to vidangel.com.
Look Through the Library They have Disney movies like Star Wars that are unavailable for streaming elsewhere. When you see the list here you will be amazed at the options.
Now buy a movie for $20. This is pretty simple but don't worry you get most of it back after the first movie.
Choose filters What?! I knew there was a catch. You have to choose 1 of 100-200 filters. This might be one instance of a curse word, a baby's bottom visible in lady and they tramp, gaston throwing his sidekick against the wall in beauty and the beast, or a dead animal in the lobster.
Apply Filter When you apply the filter it shows exactly how many seconds ( if any you have cut from the movie). You have to "alter" the movie to avoid copyright infringement. Obviously I try to alter as little as possible. Sorta like flipping a copyright image.
Watch the Movie
Sell Back the Movie you sell back the movie for $18(high def) or $19 (standard def). You now a have a $18 or $19 credit for your next movie: Importantly you have to do this within 24 hours or you keep the movie
What do the Studios Think of This?
Predictably they sued for illegal streaming
See this article from [western journalism](http://www.westernjournalism.com/vidangel-facing-lawsuit-from-major-studios-over-family-filtered-movie-service)The studios claim: infringement, illegal streaming, and highlight that some of these movies are not available anywhere for streaming.
According to court documents, the movie companies involved in the suit claim VidAngel operators can supposedly offer a cheaper rate because they haven’t paid the typical fees that other streaming sites have. The movie studios feel this is a copyright violation and makes VidAngel the same as any other illegal online streaming service.
Vidangel's Defense
VidAngel offers a "family-friendly alternative to traditional movie viewing," the post said, and cited provisions in the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005 that allow people to edit out portions of media in their homes so long as a member of the household chooses what is edited and the content is from an authorized copy of the media.
But that's not all.
Additionally, VidAngel Countersued Under Antitrust.
Because the studios were acting together to pressure Google to not offer Vidangel on chromcast.
This should be two great cases to follow
But What Does it Mean to Steemit?
Obviously copyright and censureship is at the center of the steemit project. What if someone buys music (radio Steem are you listening?) or eventually video and makes it available to stream from Steem?