Skip to content
quotesby

My own home, we do it in our on home. I know about that. Anybody that has a VCR, talk to them, and I ask you to use your own commonsense... If you had the power to sit on a playback of a recording and you could wipe out the commercials or not wipe out the commercials, what would you do? ... We all do it. But when you do it, you strip away the reason for free television. ... As far as I am concerned, I am going to continue taping because the plaintiffs have said they aren't going to do anything to me. I am not committing any crime. They know that.

Jack Valenti#21

IndustryTelevision

About this quote

What does it mean?
Valenti argues that time-shifting with VCRs is universal common sense, but warns it undermines the economic model of free television.
In plain terms
Everyone tapes TV, but it hurts free broadcast.
What can you take from it?
Universal behavior does not justify economic harm.

Where it applies

  • using VCRs
  • watching TV
  • recording shows

Putting it to work

  • understanding industry impact
  • evaluating personal choices

Questions to consider

  • Is it fair to break a system you depend on?
  • Where do you draw the line on copying?

Another view

The argument conflates personal convenience with systemic viability.

More from Jack Valenti

  1. When my son is taping for his permanent collection, he sits there and pauses his machine and when he is finished with it, he has a marvelous Clint Eastwood mov…

    Permalink to quote #20
  2. Copyright term extension has a simple but compelling enticement: it is very much in America's economic interests.

    Permalink to quote #22
  3. The Ninth Circuit Court decision was lucid, unambiguous, and consistent. The logic was clear and it said when you use copyrighted material on a video cassette …

    Permalink to quote #19

Related quotes

  1. The network called up and said 'We piggybacked you on the deal for another show,' I'm like 'Okay, so what you're saying to my writers is that they weren't pick…

    Joss WhedonJoss Whedon quote #6
  2. I had a brief theater background and loved the backstage world there's more backstage work in television, so I saw a job advertised and applied, and got it. Th…

    Lee ChildLee Child quote #21
  3. Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say.

    Ralph BakshiRalph Bakshi quote #1