Is this not a cash grab???

M

Mino

Northern Dreamer
Once again I’m snapping and maybe you guys can put this into perspective for me.

My girlfriend works for a daycare that is non-profit. Furniture, toys, books, media and a lot of other stuff are donated. The whole system is overseen by a group of volunteer parents who are the board of directors. Now into this fragile mix marches a group called Criterion who hold out their hand and demand $150.00 per year after taxes to pay off a public performance license for showing videos at the daycare produced by the people they represent…Disney etc. The children who occasionally watch these films during “story hour” are generally too busy poking each other with sticks and picking their noses to pay much attention. This to me is a cash grab by corporations who are very rich to start with. Do they really need to take money from an already under funded daycare?
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

In many cases, if you do not actively defend your intellectual property rights, you risk losing them. Don't know if that's the case here, but often times when, say, Disney goes after a daycare center for having Minnie Mouse on the wall without permission, it's for that reason.

And as Jim points out, even if it's not to risk losing anything, it's still their property.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Points injested. Just to make it clear, I used Disney as an example. The company asking for the fee represent just about all major distributors.

Side question: Does Disney distribute their own material or is say Sony pictures or whoever hired to do that. This would slightly change things for me.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Ok then,and this is only my personal take. I truly think that Walt would turn over in his grave if he knew that these children were having money pulled from their budget for this reason and under these circumstances. Of course it was a totally different playing field when he was alive.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Walt was a visionary, no doubt.  But he was fiercely jealous of his creations.  MGM had originally wanted Mickey Mouse in Anchors Aweigh to do the dance with Gene Kelly.  Walt said: "Mickey Mouse will never be in an MGM film"

I wouldn't be too sure about that grave rolling over thing.  He'd probably just recommend some other form of entertainment.  Unless it suited his agenda of course.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Interesting, I didn't know that. But then again the fleet of trucks it would take to hold all the things I don't know......Well...
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

[quote author=emigrant link=board=Offtopic;num=1102721012;start=0#7 date=12/10/04 at 16:16:19]Interesting, I didn't know that.  But then again the fleet of trucks it would take to hold all the things I don't know......Well...[/quote]

You and all the rest of us.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Not too stray too far from my point though. I just think a non profit daycare should somehow be exempt from this fee. I would feel the same if the group in question were elderly seniors with altzhiemers. If the people showing the vids were carging admission, Then I would not be griping about it here.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

No they didn't ask first. They were informed by a well meaning person that they could pay heavy fines or go to jail if they did not pay these fees. So like the responsible group they are, they got hold of Criterion pictures and confessed to their crimes. Criterion imediately began billing them.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Good point, Unfortunately we'll never know. I highly doublt they could back pedal into salvation at this stage in the game, but it might be worth a shot.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Trump used to say "No such thing as bad press - It's all good"

In this case, he's wrong...

A quick call to the local news "watchdog" or whatever "human interest hero" you have will gladly run a story how this non-profit daycare and it's defenseless children are getting the shaft. :'(

If the company won't change it's mind on the fees I'm sure there will be others willing to supply entertainment for the kiddies for some good press. :)
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

And full circle to why I snap....If they were a rich and powerful daycare there would be a loophole somewhere and they probably would end up not paying. There is one parent who is a non practicing lawyer( took time off to raise familly) who is looking in to it. This same person took the buggers on for the mini mouse on the wall thing and won, I am told. Hey Dakotapod you snuck that in while I was posting.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

Very good point Dakotapod. I passed that one on to the group immediately.
 
Re: Is this not a cash grab???

You know, I'm just not seeing the crime against humanity here. Instead of charging the fee, they could have sought injunctive relief and a host of other possible remedies.
 
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