Our troops want Knight Rider!

[Michael Pajaro]

I received this email:

"Deployed US troop in need of help

I am currently deployed to Iraq and was unable to see the movie. I am a huge Knight Rider fan, and a Mustang owner. I was very excited when I learned that Knight Rider was being revived and using a GT500KR as K.I.T.T. If there is anything you could do to help me I would really appreciate it."

We've exchanged a few messages. He has a slow, unreliable internet connection so streaming the video isn't an option. We'll be sending him a DVD of the new movie with a bunch of the promos and other goodies thrown in. I have a Season 1 boxset of the original series for him as well. Hopefully they can have a "Knight Rider night" at some point.

[snafu]

That's fantastic. I'm from a military family and all the tidbits from home really boost the morale on deployment.
That was nice of you to do that.

[Stylez]

I received this email:

"We'll be sending him a DVD of the new movie with a bunch of the promos and other goodies thrown in.

Umm...not to start anything but this site has always has been against illegal distribution, I've seen torrent links etc. removed. Why is this any different? It's distributing the new movie in it's entirety, which is piracy. It's just a question, in fact I don't really care but just out of curiousity.

[Michael Pajaro]

Your point is well-taken Stylez. Let me hold off on an explanation for just a bit, but I will get back to it.

[kopiikat]

*mob mentality* He knows something we don't! GET HIM!!!

Just kidding.

... but it does seem like you know something we don't. Might you~?

[Stylez]

lol that's funny kopiikat, I just know Mike likes things like this to be by the book. I remember someone a couple years ago posted links to TKR and they were deleted in a heartbeat because of obvious reasons. Now fast forward a couple years and KR08 is being handed out on media? Can't go both ways...can it? Maybe he DOES know something we don't!

[snafu]

There should be a way to send one copy of KR and fix the DVD so it can't be copied. It might be the difference between person-to-person sharing and distributing (i.e. making a bunch to sell).

[krfan1]

If the commercials are left on the DVD, how is it illegal? It would be just like recording something on TV with your VCR. If I remember correctly, as long as the commercials are still on there (since the advertisers paid for the TV show), it isn't illegal.

Am I wrong?
krfan1

[Stylez]

There isn't any copy protection that can't be bypassed, especially in the case of writable media. Some countries allow you to have in your possession ONE backup copy as long as you have the original retail media in your possession as well. I know I certainly can't go making copies of any dvd I own and freely distribute it to friends and family. Peer to peer sharing or handing someone a dvd, it's still the same. No matter what comes of this thread, it's just some healthy debate on the subject. Now if I were Mike I would send it no matter what, they are in Iraq for heaven's sake!

[Stylez]

If the commercials are left on the DVD, how is it illegal? It would be just like recording something on TV with your VCR. If I remember correctly, as long as the commercials are still on there (since the advertisers paid for the TV show), it isn't illegal.

Am I wrong?
krfan1

Hey, hey, hey!! You might be onto something there! Could this possibly be a loophole in the law? Tough to say.

[Michael Pajaro]

Everyone, please don't overthink this. Forget copyright for moment.

There is a soldier in Iraq, thousands of miles from home in an extremely dangerous situation, and he's asking for a little bit of Knight Rider to give him a taste of home. We can help him. That's what's important to me.

[Stylez]

Mike, I just said in the post above that if I were you I would send it regardless, healthy debate of the subject that's all. Nobody is saying not to do it, I'm sure everyone supports it especially given the circumstances. Sorry if I made you feel like you were on the spot, that's not what my intention was. Heck lol give me the address and I'll send it in multiple formats!

[kopiikat]

Everyone, please don't overthink this. Forget copyright for moment.

There is a soldier in Iraq, thousands of miles from home in an extremely dangerous situation, and he's asking for a little bit of Knight Rider to give him a taste of home. We can help him. That's what's important to me.

Awe... I wasn't accusing you. I was just hoping you had somehow come upon an official DVD or something. You know, mods have magic powers like that sometimes.

[snafu]

It did make me think though- the military confiscates weird stuff, but it's usually in outgoing mail rather than incoming mail from deployment. They also have this annoying habit of holding things for six weeks so you get 37 pieces of mail at once.

It should get there- we never got around to sending a DVD or video, but it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

[GarthKnight08]

What would really suck is if you go through all that trouble & when the guy gets the dvd it wont play in the dvd players over there. This is known to happen, better ask him if his dvd player can play whatever type of disc your sending. The region might be different. Even if its region free format it still wont play in certain dvd players.

[Michael Pajaro]

[krfan1]

Thanks for that screenshot Michael! I've been meaning to grab that to email to my buddy whose in the Army.

krfan1