Archived Edition of Chromatic Musings

Home town makes good

Rick Boucher, congressman from my home town, has introduced legislation to codify the Betamax ruling.

...That ruling held that Sony's Betamax VCR was legal even though people could use it to copy and pirate movies and television shows.

>It also introduced an important concept: "substantial noninfringing uses." In other words, even if a device such as a VCR could be used to do something illegal, the manufacturer could not be held responsible, provided there were plenty of legal ways to use it.

"A hammer is great for building houses, but it can also be used for breaking into houses," said Boucher, D-Abingdon. "You don't punish the guy who made the hammer when the burglar uses it to break in."