The National Football League is apparently joining the ranks of the Recording Industry Association of America in stupid enforcements of copyright laws. The IndyStar is reporting that the NFL overnighted a letter to the Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis demanding that they cancel a party that was being promoted. The church’s website has a note from their pastor that reads:
We regret to inform you that we have had to cancel our bash to view the Colts game this Sunday in a family friendly environment due to the fact that the NFL believes we would be in violation of the Copyright Act, because we had planned to show the game on a screen bigger than a 55 inch diagonal. We have appealed to their legal counsel and exhausted all options without success. We have been informed that the only exceptions to view the game are given to sports bars and restaurants. While we have argued that we only intend to provide a family oriented environment that will make no profit from the showing, the NFL claims that our event cannot proceed by law. Therefore, we have no choice but to challenge this in court or cancel the event. We choose to cancel the event. We deeply regret that we have been prohibited by the NFL from providing a family friendly environment for celebrating the Colts great season.
As a minister who has previously hosted Super Bowl parties, I have to say that this is ridiculous. The NFL’s explanation is that it would throw off Nielsen ratings. That is ridiculous. Hey NFL. Get a clue.
Read the IndyStar’s report here.
I suppose we will have a “Greatest Andy Griffith Episodes” party and if everyone gets bored about 5:15 pm, maybe we will see if there is anything else on … say, CBS at that time.
What I don’t get is this 55″ law. So if you played your Andy Griffith special, in public, on a TV bigger than 55 inches you would be in violation. This is would have to be an FCC law (I would guess). The NFL cannot make a law that controls only the game.
So anyone with a TV larger than 55″ is breaking the law. Unless the law is for a public viewing. That would mean any time you saw any TV content in the store that was playing on a TV larger than 55″ then the store would be in violation.
Ridiculous!