WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at helping parents keep their children from seeing sex scenes, violence and foul language in movie DVDs.


The bill gives legal protections to the fledgling filtering technology that helps parents automatically skip or mute sections of commercial movie DVDs. Bush signed it privately and without comment, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.




The legislation came about because Hollywood studios and directors had sued to stop the manufacture and distribution of such electronic devices for DVD players. The movies' creators had argued that changing the content -- even when it is considered offensive -- would violate their copyrights.


The legislation, called the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, creates an exemption in copyright laws to make sure companies selling filtering technology won't get sued out of existence.


Critics of the bill have argued it was aimed at helping one company, Utah-based ClearPlay, whose technology is used in some DVD players. ClearPlay sells filters for hundreds of movies that can be added to such DVD players for $4.95 each month. Hollywood executives maintain that ClearPlay should pay them licensing fees for altering their creative efforts.


Unlike ClearPlay, some other companies produce edited DVD copies of popular movies and sell them directly to consumers.


In a nod to the studios, the legislation contains crackdowns on copyright infringement by explicitly providing no legal protections for those companies that sell copies of the edited movies, creating new penalties for criminals who use small video cameras to record copies of first-run films in movie theaters, and setting tough penalties for anyone caught distributing a movie or song prior to its commercial release.


The legislation also reauthorizes a Library of Congress program dedicated to saving rare, culturally significant works, such as home movies, silent-era films and other works that are unlikely to be protected by the big studios.
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...wonderful.


I find that odd. If he really did care about the wefare of our children, then he would have said something. why sign it privately? people will know about the bill anyways.

this is what ratings are for.....if you don't want your kid to see it, don't buy it or rent it. dang, next thing you know, you're not even gonna be allowed to have sex in your own house if your kids are home.

Are they really THAT much of a bad parent that you have to buy violent, gory movies for your kids, and then just delete the parts you think are offensive? Ooh well, they want Sin City, but it's full of gore and sex! I know, i'll just remove the gore and sex and swearing, leaving 3 minutes of dialogue!
More often than not, the storyline itself is aimed at adults with adult content, so even removing gore you still have something your kid shouldn't be watching. By them something for their age!

right on!

Sin City would be a total of 5 mins with that filter! Its stupid though, they are changing the films without the consent of the copyright holders... therefor this bill should be ruled out of line because the copyright holders to the movies are being screwed in their rights. I think the goverment is taking a step into the household. Its getting out of hand... the goverment is their for the people, not to rule the people.

Are they really altering the content though? If I'm watching a movie and I decide to "fast forward" through a scene does that make me in violation of copyright?



ACK! I can't seem to spell anything right today!

The sad thing is I know a woman who has censored all of her childrens viewing, they were not even allowed to watch films like Harry Potter because it was devil worshiping and evil. Well all I can say is that 3 out of 4 of her children have had some pretty heavy gang affiliations, very nasty pill popping injecting drug habbits and at least one has had a long running prostitution carrer. The other one is still young.

And what, now we want to breed these obviously disfunctional families. It is a crazy and bizare world.

It's an interesting thing to note Kismit. Maybe a little bit of violence on TV keeps our children out of violence in school?

That's awful, these freakin parents should just pay attention to the movie rating and make a judgement based on that. Do your job as a parent and stop trying to make entertainment industry raise your childeren. If you're concerned about what your kids are going to see than don't rent a rated R movie when the kids will be present to watch it...simple.

I think they should take sex and violence of the streets and put it back on television were it belongs

It does seem that the most sheltered kids turn out to be the worst. Once they get out from under their parents thumb they go wild. I have seen it many times.

I believe extremes breed extremes Michelle.
This generation has a mother on drugs and who makes her money entertaining anyone with a $20 note and the next generation will strive to keep there families from it . And then the next generation will fight the system and rebel and so on and so on and so on.

Burnside, we grew up with Terminator movies and the Texas chainsaw masacre, Nightmare on Elm Street anything with kickboxing or karate oh and remember anything Jim Henson a lot of magic in that. And aside from a healthy internet addiction I believe I'm o.k.

I also think it's important, for boys especially to express. That's why we ritually beat the living snot out of each other on Monday nights.

Irish is right, Violencs does have its place. Sex though , I'm married that makes me officially celebate so I wouldn't know.

Seems like we're going about censorship the wrong way eh.

We are totally going about censorship the wrong way...besides I don't think it's ever been proven that violence and sex in movies leads to violence and sex in real life. I've spent my entire life watching the sickest garbage I could find and I always turned out okay.

I really think there is something to be said for letting your children experience the "nastier" side of life in the protection of their homes under the supervision of the parent. As has been mentioned earlier if you shelter you kids too much it can be detrimental as well.

Maybe and then maybe my views are tainted becuase I just don't like Bush.

I'm sorry this post really is only to state the fact I do not like George Bush. There that feels better thank goodness this site is only loosly censored hey Burnsy.

Not only boys Kismit, we three girls used to beat the snot out of each other on a regular basis growing up.

I've been reading things like Steven King and watching every scary movie that came out since I was about nine. I think I'm okay, I think I'm okay, I think.......so.....yeah....

I think your O.K. Michelle.








mostly...,

Kismit, on topic please.


O.K. Burnsy

...spoilsport...



Thanks oh wise moderator one.

I wonder if these are the same parents that have the V-chip installed into their TV...

The US culture is way out of balance anyway. You can see any number of horrible murders and tortures on prime-time TV when children are watching but the government goes into a frenzy if you see a naked breast for a second. We're such Puritans when it comes to sex it makes me sick. At the same time we're in love with violence. I'd like to see less violence on TV and a lot more sex, but tastefully done. Not portraying it as a bad thing that you have to sneak around to do, but a healthy, important part of life.

HERE HERE Kismit You shelter kids and when they are old enough to know the difference they go for what ever they have been deprived of.

I am not in favor of censorship, but I'm also not opposed to this technology.
Nobody is going to tell you what you can and cannot watch. They're simply giving parents a tool to help protect their children from adult material.

Don't like it? Don't buy it! It's as simple as that.

So the parents will spend all this money to buy and install this device to stop their children from viewing scenes in movies that they deem unsuitable for them. Wouldn`t it just be easier and cheaper to provide them with suitable shows and movies to watch. Its simple just dont rent MA and R films for your little kids!

Vote Bush! Vote for victorian uber-conservatism!

i just buy my own movies, no matter what they do to movies ill still buy them and find a way around those blockings

...This doesn't suprise me. Bush is an Ass.

Not only does it infringe on copyrights, but also on one's artistic license. If a movie has sex or violence you don't want your kid to see, don't watch the movie. It's part of the movie for a reason. AGHHHHHHH BUSH!!

If you are old enough to go out and buy your own movies, you are probably old enough to watch whatever is on them.

My ultimate fantasy is this: One day, the president/governement makes a huge speech to everyone in the nation.

"We are not raising your children anymore. We are not holding your hand anymore. You and your children are your resposibility."

If they stuck to that, the US might straighten out in 3 or 4 generations.

I 'shelter' my kids (7 & 6 yr old boys). From kids whose parents turn them into monsters.

this is pitiful. parents are so low, they cant even take responsibility for buying their kids r rated movies. families all around the US are sueing Rockstar games all because they made grand theft auto, so they buy it for their 7 year old, and the 7 year old takes a shotgun and kills a driver, and says the video game made him do it. I HATE STUPID PEOPLE... yeah a little off topic, i know, but close enough.