I just realized the other day that public projection of a DVD in an oil rig is illegal (yes, they appear explicitly in the banner). Funny: hospitals, schools, ..., oil rigs!
What's not allowed is the screening of retail copies in oil rigs. There's public screening licenses available for such situations, which of course cost a bit more than $14.95.
If you look at prospectuses for film production companies, you'll often see a section on distribution to what are known as "ancillary markets" such as tv, hotels, airlines, prisons, and yes, oil rigs.
All it really means is that there's a different license fee structure in each of those cases.
Not unlike different sorts of license fees for using software in different situations, or even some types of Creative Commons which require separate negotiation of a license in certain commercial situations.
They're just getting new ways to make money. Soon, they will narrow down to personal licenses for media. You watch it, fine, but show it to your 4 year old kid and you're in for a big fine!
No, I just wanted to point out that they do include the rigs in the banner. Like they were obsessed with rigs or something. Why not inlcude 'shareholders' meetings' or 'space stations' as well?
Haha, yeah I always wondered about that. Like they've got something against riggers or something. I imagine there must have been a case decades ago of people on oil rigs showing movies and then claiming exemption from the rules due to being out at sea.
Likely because they hope you're still within the 12 mile zone of some country. Outside of those I really wonder what their legal position is. The blurb telling you it is illegal is probably not all there is to it.
It shouldn't be allowed to say things in doesn't mean though.
A government is failing badly in it's duty to the populus if they allow large companies to make known false claims (or indeed unknown claims) as to the legal position of a buyer.
Sure you could sue for fraud or some-such but it strikes me this sort of situation is where government needs to use a strong hand to keep corporations in line.
US copyright law considers a performance of a work to be a copy that must be authorized by the copyright holder. For example, a songwriter is entitled to royalties if an orchestra plays the song, and singing Happy Birthday at a birthday party is illegal but you're allowed to hum it (the tune is out of copyright, the lyrics are not), and that is why restaurants have invented their own birthday songs. Back to the subject at hand, the playing of a recording for an audience has been considered a performance since recordings were first invented, so it's illegal whether you're on an oil rig or not.
If the rig is in international waters, the story might be different.
Unbelievable.