Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

Is Your Super Bowl Party Illegal?
Sunday, February 4, 2007

Slate answers the question, If you have a 55-inch television is your party illegal, like this church?

No. The 55-inch limit cited by the NFL applies only to public showings of the Super Bowl, not private gatherings. According to U.S. copyright law, Josh is in the clear so long as he doesn't take his gigantic TV to a public place, or invite "a substantial number of persons" to his house—more than a normal circle of family and social acquaintances. If he sticks to those rules, his Super Bowl party will be a private display and won't infringe on the rights of the NFL, no matter how big his television. (Since he's hosting a private event, he could even get away with charging his guests admission.)

Public displays are more tightly controlled; as a general rule, they require the consent of the league. But there is an exception, from section 110 of the copyright law: You can show the game to a big crowd, provided you're not charging people to watch it and that when you tune in, you're only using "a single receiving apparatus of a kind commonly used in private homes." (This is called the "homestyle" exemption.)

Labels: sports

Posted by B Feiler at 12:24 PM
Permalink Digg this Post Email this Post

0 Comments: