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An attorney, Dunlavey is best known for arguing "Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios" all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue in the so-called "Betamax Case" was whether consumers had the right to use the then-new video cassette recorders to tape television shows for their own use. The case started in 1979 with Hollywood studios complaining that their copyrights were being violated, and that Sony and other VCR manufacturers were responsible as "contributory infringers". After going back and forth several times, the case was heard by the Supreme Court in 1984. "The studios have been paid once. There's no reason they should be paid twice," Dunlavey argued. Thanks to his win, Americans are free to tape shows to watch later -- "time-shifting", as it became known, and now use even more convenient hard-disk-based Personal Video Recorders. He died June 28 in southern California after a fall at age 77. From This is True for 29 June 2003 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Joshua M. Greenberg List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $16.47 Editorial Review: The first video cassette recorders were promoted in the 1970s as an extension of broadcast television technology--a time-shifting device, a way to tape TV shows. Early advertising for Sony's Betamax told potential purchasers "You don't have to miss Kojak because you're watching Columbo." But within a few years, the VCR had been transformed from a machine that recorded television into an extension of the movie theater into the home. This was less a physical transformation than a change in perception, but one that relied on the very tangible construction of a network of social institutions to support this new marketplace for movies. In From Betamax to Blockbuster, Joshua Greenberg explains how the combination of neighborhood video stores and the VCR created a world in which movies became tangible consumer goods. Greenberg charts a trajectory from early "videophile" communities to the rise of the video store--complete with theater marquee lights, movie posters, popcorn, and clerks who offered expert advice on which movies to rent. The result was more than a new industry; by placing movies on cassette in the hands (and control) of consumers, video rental and sale led to a renegotiation of the boundary between medium and message, and ultimately a new relationship between audiences and movies. Eventually, Blockbuster's top-down franchise store model crowded local video stores out of the market, but the recent rise of Netflix, iTunes, and other technologies have reopened old questions about what a movie is and how (and where) it ought to be watched. By focusing on the "spaces in between" manufacturers and consumers, Greenberg's account offers a fresh perspective on consumer technology, illustrating how the initial transformation of movies from experience into commodity began not from the top down or the bottom up, but from the middle of the burgeoning industry out. The Betamax Dilemma.(TECH TALK IN PLAIN ENGLISH): An article from: Security M... By: Peter Piazza List Price: $5.95 Amazon Price: $5.95 Editorial Review: This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2006. The length of the article is 624 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: The Betamax Dilemma.(TECH TALK IN PLAIN ENGLISH) Author: Peter Piazza Publication: Security Management (Magazine/Journal) Date: February 1, 2006 Publisher: Thomson Gale Volume: 50 Issue: 2 Page: 40(2) Distributed by Thomson Gale The superior technology of Betamax: An article from: The Agricultural Educati... By: Wayne Fanno List Price: $10.00 Amazon Price: $10.00 Editorial Review: This digital document is an article from The Agricultural Education Magazine, most recently published by National Council for Agricultural Education on February 28, 2001. The length of the article is 1240 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: The superior technology of Betamax Author: Wayne Fanno Publication: The Agricultural Education Magazine Date: February 28, 2001 Publisher: National Council for Agricultural Education Volume: 73 Issue: 4 Page: 18 Distributed by ProQuest Information and Learning  By: Mauro Peres List Price: $500.00 Amazon Price: $500.00 Editorial Review: This Health Industry Insights perspective looks at the similarities between the historical battle for VCR standards (Betamax versus VHS) and the current-day dispute for RFID standards (HF versus UHF). |
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