Sanitising movies for family viewing is not legal, apparently

The various companies that have sanitised movies to make them less objectionable for family or other viewing are wrong to do so, a court in the US has ruled. I guess it's something to be expected in the long continuum of throwing away all restraint in what is acceptable on the TV or movie screens.

I feel it's shame that the human body and sex have been so cheapened by the movies for the so-called sake of "artistic expression." And, the gratuitous violence in so many movies and games gives an appearance that giving vent to anger, hatred, vengence or whatever is quite a legitimate way of dealing with problems. It isn't.

Khaleej Times Online - Removing sex, profanity from films violates copyright laws: US Court

Sanitizing movies on DVD or VHS tape violates federal copyright laws, and several companies that scrub films must turn over their inventory to Hollywood studios, an appeals judge ruled.

Editing movies to delete objectionable language, sex and violence is an “illegitimate business” that hurts Hollywood studios and directors who own the movie rights, said U.S District Judge Richard P. Matsch in a decision released Thursday in Denver.

“Their (studios and directors) objective . . . is to stop the infringement because of its irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression in the copyrighted movies,” the judge wrote. “There is a public interest in providing such protection.”

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