Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Your Big Screen Super Bowl Party May Be Illegal

by JP Mangalindan on February 5, 2010 at 04:50 PM

Everyone and their mama's mama will be tuning in this Sunday for the big game, and to that end, you might be planning a get-together with some buddies involving a few six-packs, snacks and of course, the TV. But is that Super Bowl shindig infringing upon copyright law?

That's what one Ars Technica writer wondered aloud after a friend mentioned he couldn't watch the Super Bowl on a TV 55-inches or larger without committing a federal offense. Turns out, to some extent, the friend was right. TV broadcasts and movies can only be displayed if "no such audiovisual device has a diagonal screen size greater than 55 inches, and any audio portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers."

Of course, there's a lot more to it because, if that were genuinely the case, millions of Americans would probably be locked up for simply trying to upgrade at Best Buy. Additional clauses and exemptions specify that, so long as the party isn't at a public gathering place more than a few thousand square feet large (i.e. a sports bar, frat house, or a church charging for cover), you've got nothing to worry about. And even in those specified circumstances, an agreement can be worked out with the copyright holder beforehand. [From: Ars Technica]

Tags: copyright, copyright infringement, CopyrightInfringement, legal, sports, super bowl, SuperBowl, top

Comments

1

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular