Video gossip

Press, 9 May 1984, Page 31

Video gossip

A further new service has just been introduced for members of the Noel Leeming video library. It is a telephone order service for the hire or return of the library’s prerecorded video tapes. Members may phone in their tape orders to the Colombo Street centre, and have the tape delivered to whichever of the city’s nine Noel Leeming shops is the most convenient point for collection; or, for less than $l, the tapes may be delivered to a member’s home. Members may return tapes the following day to any one of the nine shops. Orders must be in before 3.30 p.m. for same day service.

K-tel Video has released five new movie titles to the New Zealand video tape rental market this month. These films are the initial launch of a range of 100 titles the company will release progressively over the next two years. They represent a broad variety of tastes — drama, action, adventure, horror and the martial arts. One title is “Lonely Hearts,” the film which won the 1982 best film award of the Australian Film Institute. The film was co-written by a New Zealander, John Clarke, better known for his alterego, Fred Dagg. “Lonely Hearts” is reviewed as a sensitive love story, simply told with compassion and humour. The other titles in the Ktel release are “Alone in the Dark” (terror), “Mad Mission” (action), “The Sword of the Barbarians” (adventure) and “The Instructor” (martial arts action).

Video and the law exist in a somewhat uneasy relationship. The Copyright Act was formulated in 1962 to protect the rights of movie and programme makers, owners, distributors and artists. This act came into being before the advent of home video recorders, but it would not appear to be aimed at individual persons using V.C.R.s for private purposes, such as delayed viewing of programmes. It obviously -exists primarily to stop commercial exploitation, not an individual’s freedom to “time shift” programme viewing. The act does specifically prohibit the duplication of pre-recorded movies or TV programmes for sale, rent or public display. So, if you are tempted to sell or hire out your tape of the cricket test or a movie, you could be subject to legal action for infringement of copyright.