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Fan Fiction vs. Copyright - Q&A with Rebecca Tushnet

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"It takes a big studio to make The Avengers, but it doesn't necessarily take a big studio to write a piece of Avengers fan fiction," says Georgetown University law professor and fan fiction advocate Rebecca Tushnet. "Big content companies largely recognize that fan activities are really good for them because they engage people."

The growing popularity of fan fiction, a genre in which fans create their own stories featuring characters or settings from their favorite works of popular culture, raises thorny copyright issues. "Given how broad copyright is now, it's now possible to say fan fiction is an infringing derivative work," Tushnet explains. "In order to deal with that...we now talk about fair use, which allows people to make fair, limited uses of works without permission from the copyright owner."

As a member of the Organization for Transformative Works, Tushnet works to defend fan fiction creators caught in the legal debate between protected intellectual property and fair use.

Nick Gillespie sat down with Tushnet to discuss copyright law, fan fiction, and why media companies should embrace fan-created works.

Approximately 7.34 minutes.

Interview by Nick Gillespie. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Joshua Swain. Editing by Swain.

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Bikini Banners and F*cking Cops Cracking Down on Curse Words! (Nanny of the Month, June '12)

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 06:30:00 EDT

June's busybodies want to shield your eyes from bikinis and remind you that they're not above ripping your garden out (even if you are complying with city codes).

But top dishonors go to the police chief who admitted on camera that his officers had "more important things to do," but still championed a measure that fines folks for swearing in public.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for June 2012: Middleborough, Massachusetts Police Chief Bruce Gates!

Approximately 95 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Watch previous "Nanny of the Month" episodes here.

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DC Capitol Hemp Shutting Down: Obama's War on Drugs to Blame

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

“The government is forcing a form of censorship on us," says Adam Eidinger, co-owner of Capitol Hemp, a two-store chain in Washington, D.C. that is closing its doors for good on August 1, 2012. "They are saying you can’t talk about certain subjects if you’re going to sell pipes.”

Capitol Hemp sells clothing and soaps and a vast array of glass and other types of pipes. Police raided Capitol Hemp last fall after an undercover cop reported “unnatural and deceptive” behavior at the company’s Adams Morgan branch. What raised the cop’s suspicions? According to the police report, employees corrected his use of the word bong and changed the subject whenever he brought up marijuana. The store’s book selection, which included titles on drug legalization, was also cited as proof that the place was really a criminal enterprise.

Under current law, drug paraphernalia is illegal, even absent traces of verboten substances. But since anything - from rolling papers to apple cores to beer cans - can be used to smoke pot, federal prosecutors end up relying on “context” to determine when a pipe is just a lawful pipe and not a contraband bong.

The government seized over $300,000 of merchandise from Capitol Hemp. After the feds reduced the charges in such a way that a jury trial in federal court was not an option, Capitol Hemp agreed to a deal in which it will “voluntarily” shut down in exchange for the full return of its seized merchandise. When it reopened its doors after the raid, Capitol Hemp dutifully stripped its shelves of any books devoted to drug policy.

Eidinger and his partner aren’t alone in feeling the heat from federal prosecutors. On May 10, 2012, federal agents raided the homes and stores of 14 hemp-and-head shop owners in Idaho, seizing water pipes, glasswork, and other wares they believe constitute “drug paraphernalia.”

“The open sale of drug paraphernalia promotes unlawful drug use and helps drug traffickers thrive,” announced U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson, who was appointed by Barack Obama, at a press conference about the raids.

If such raids are reminiscent of similar actions under George W. Bush, that’s because they are. Despite Obama drug czar Gil Kerlikowske admitting that the country “cannot arrest its way out of the drug problem,” the Obama administration is doing its damnedest to try. From increasing the number of raids on California’s medical-marijuana dispensaries (which are legal under state law) to pushing for bans on sales of cold medicines, Obama is sadly revealing himself as “just another drug warrior” despite admitting to frequent use of illegal substances.

Sadder still: All this is happening as a record number of Americans – including even religious conservatives such as Pat Robertson – are voicing support for the legalization of marijuana.

Produced by Joshua Swain. Written by Swain and Nick Gillespie; hosted by Kennedy.

About 3 minutes long. Subscribe to Reason’s YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live. And go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of all our videos.

For more on President Obama’s disturbing record on the drug war, read “Bummer.”

And for an in-depth analysis of how drug paraphernalia laws punish controversial speech, read “Bongs Away!”

For ReasonTV’s playlist on drug and alcohol policy, go here.

Too Much Copyright

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"This disconnect between the public's view of copyright and fair use and what should and should not be prosecuted, versus the 'copyright maximist' view of the law, is our generation's Prohibition," says Ben Huh, CEO and founder of Cheezburger and a loud voice in the recent backlash to SOPA and PIPA, two congressional bills aimed at curbing internet piracy.

Copyright exists to “promote the useful arts” according to the Constitution. But is it still doing that? And should the government protect so-called “intellectual property” in the same way it protects other forms of property? Reason.tv posed these questions to Ben Huh, as well as a professor and a movie studio representative.

Tom Bell, a law professor specializing in property law, has serious reservations about attempts by groups like the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to equate property and copyright through ad campaigns admonishing viewers with messages like, "You wouldn't steal a car. Downloading pirated movies is stealing."

"As soon as we start using [the word] 'copyright' for 'property,' we start taking less seriously our property rights for things like cars and houses," says Bell. "When you steal a candy bar or a car, you've left somebody without something to eat or something to drive."

But the MPAA's head content protection counsel, Ben Sheffner, thinks that piracy is a major problem that needs to be stopped.

"If this kind of piracy is allowed to run rampant, it'll deprive the public of the next great film," says Sheffner.

So, if the purpose of copyright is to incentivize the creation of artistic works, is it still doing its job? The data points to today's copyright regime doing little more than enriching the corporations with the strongest lobbyists.

"Is there a market failure in the production and dissemination of expressive works?" asks Bell. "I don't there's any risk that we're going to run out of songs, or books, or movies, or software any time soon."

While the MPAA and other entertainment industry trade groups have bemoaned the effects of rampant internet piracy on creative output, the numbers tell a different story. Research shows more music and books produced than ever before between 2005 to 2010, production of feature films growing by a factor of more than 4 in 14 years, and the number of video game companies exploding by a factor of 18 in the span of three years.

Still, the MPAA stands behind Chairman Chris Dodd's statement, made in the heat of the SOPA battle, that the U.S. could look to China's site-blocking laws as a positive example of anti-piracy regulation.

"If site blocking broke the internet, the internet would've been broken a long time ago," says Sheffner. "There's ways to implement these narrowly tailored remedies that really cut off these 'worst of the worst' web sites."

Written and produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Tracy Oppenheimer and Weissmueller. "The Day the LOLcats died" written and performed by LaughPong. Additional music:"Thomas Kinkade Pays His Respects to Walt Disney" by Der Christer Schytts; "Twinklebox" by Ephemetry; "Betty Boop" by Ergo Phizmiz; "Frog Legs Rag Tag" by James Scott; "Mickey Impression" by thehottestguy23.

Approximately nine minutes.

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Nick Gillespie Talks GOP Social Darwinism, Teacher Sex, & Failed Journalists on the Alyona Show

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Reason's Nick Gillespie appeared on The Alyona Show with RT's Lauren Lyster to discuss President Obama remarks on the GOP's new budget as a form of 'social Darwinism', teacher-student sex laws, and end of professionalism for journalists.

Approximately 7.17 minutes.

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Jim Epstein Discusses His Arrest at the DC Taxicab Commission Meeting with Judge Napolitano

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv producer Jim Epstein talks to Judge Napolitano about what sparked his arrest at the DC Taxicab Commission Meeting and whether the government can prevent reporters from using cameras in public hearings. Air date: June 23, 2011.

Approximately 3.41 minutes.

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Jefferson Memorial Dance Dance Revolution - 6/4/2011

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

One week ago, May 28, 2011, RT correspondent and former U.S. Corporal Adam Kokesh and four other participants began a flash mob-silent dance at the Jefferson Memorial to commemorate the arrest of Brooke Oberwetter for quietly dancing in the memorial on Jefferson's birthday in 2008. The park police responded by punching, body slamming, and arresting Kokesh and the others.

Today, June 4, Kokesh and Code Pink has initiated another flash dance this time pulling almost 100 more people through press coverage, Facebook, and word of mouth. The memorial was soon shut down before the event ended with the police slowly forcing everyone to leave. No arrests were made. Reason.tv’s Joshua Swain was there to report.

Read Reason's coverage of Obwerwetter.

About 1.40 minutes

Shot and edited by Joshua Swain; help from David Bier.

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Peter Suderman Discusses Net Neutrality with Stossel

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Fox Business Network's Stossel to talk about the FCC's new net neutrality rules. Airdate: February 17, 2011.

Approximately 4.06 minutes.

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Radley Balko Discusses Heated Rhetoric on RT's The Alyona Show

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Radley Balko appeared on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to debate ThinkProgress blogger Alex Seitz-Wald on Travis Corcoran's comments and whether words can lead to violence. Airdate January 25, 2010.

Approximately 9.05 minutes.

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5 Rules for Coping with Tragedy

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

Tragedies like the mass shooting in Tucson at a public event organized by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) are horrifying enough on their own, but they also have a way of bringing out the worst in reporters and politicians.

In fact, knee-jerk reactions often leave us with misconceptions and bad policies that stick around long after the healing has begun.

And so Reason.tv presents: 5 Rules for Coping with Tragedy

Approximately 2.45 seconds

Produced by Ted Balaker; written by Balaker and Nick Gillespie.

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Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses UK Plans to Censor Pornographic Websites on Russia Today

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward appears on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to discuss the British government's plans to regulate Internet pornography in the name of child protection and how critics challenge the regulation as censorship. Airdate: December 20, 2010.

About 8 minutes.

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The Power of Nazi Propaganda

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

From radio and film to newspapers and publishing, the Nazi regime controlled every aspect of German culture from 1933-1945. Through Josef Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, the German state tightly controlled political messaging, promoting deification of the leader—the Führerprinzip—and the demonization of the ubiquitous and duplicitious "racial enemy."

A new exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., examines "how the Nazi Party used modern techniques as well as new technologies and carefully crafted messages to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany." Reason.tv's Michael C. Moynihan visited with museum historian and curator Steve Luckert to discuss the role and effectiveness of propaganda in the rise of fascism and what lessons can be drawn from the Nazi experiment in mass manipulation.

Approximately 6 minutes.

Produced by Jim Epstein and Michael C. Moynihan. Shot by Dan Hayes and Jim Epstein, with help from Joshua Swain.

To visit the exhibit website click here.

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What You Can't Say on Campus: Greg Lukianoff on Free Expression in Higher Education

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EDT

If you think that, like the Macarena, campus speech codes were mocked into obscurity during the 1990s, think again. Approximately 71 percent of American campuses still impose highly restrictive "red light speech codes" on college students, notes Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

Recently Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Lukianoff to discuss the sorry state of free expression in higher education, why you can't call Harvard men sissies, and how a student got expelled for criticizing a university president on Facebook.

Approximately 8.5 minutes.

Shot by Paul Detrick and Hawk Jensen. Edited by Austin Bragg.

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Cory Doctorow on The War on Kids, Boing Boing, & His Next Novel

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EDT

As one of the editors of Boing Boing, Cory Doctorow runs one of the best-known blogs on the planet. As the author of best-selling young-adult novels such as Little Brother and the new For The Win, he has his pulse on what it is like to be growing up in the 21st century. As a writer who simultaneously publishes his work online for free and via a traditional bookseller (Tor), he is at the bleeding edge of creating what he calls 21st century art: "contemporary art that is made to be copied."

In July Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie talked with Doctorow about raising free-range children, the future of copyright, and what makes Boing Boing tick.

Approximately 5.26 minutes. Shot by Gillespie and edited by Josh Swain.

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Nick Gillespie Discusses the "Death of Decency" on CNBC's PowerLunch

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EDT

Reason.tv 's Nick Gillespie appeared on CNBC's PowerLunch to discuss the "death of decency" and whether television is moving in the right direction, on June 8, 2010.

Approximately 3.25 minutes.

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Federal Regulations and You - Partners in Democracy!

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:00:00 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency's "Rulemaking Matters!" contest invites filmmakers to submit short videos that explain how federal regulations touch our lives. The best video wins $2,500!

Presenting reason.tv's submission: "Federal Regulations and You: Partners in Democracy!"

Written and produced by Ted Balaker. "Billy" played by Paul Detrick. Camera: Zach Weissmueller; Animation: Hawk Jensen.

Approximately 75 seconds long.

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Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for March 2010

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Last month Reason.tv highlighted the heartland pol who's waging a very real war on fake pot, but who will be this month's top nanny?

There are the New Jersey cops who wouldn't tolerate a naked snowwoman and Pennsylvania state troopers' armed crackdown on unlicensed beer.

But the Nanny of the Month goes to the Empire State politician who wants to ban salt from New York restaurants and dole out $1,000 fines to any rogue chefs who dare to sneak a sprinkle of the white stuff on their meals.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for March 2010: New York State Rep. Felix Ortiz!

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer is Alex Manning. Animation by Meredith Bragg.

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Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

Eugene Volokh on Gun Rights, Free Expression, and the Nanny State

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EST

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Eugene Volokh, professor of law at the UCLA School of Law and founder of The Volokh Conspiracy, to discuss gun rights, free expression, and the Nanny State.

Find out what Volokh thinks the biggest threats to free expression are, and whether today's muzzlers come mostly from the left or right. Volokh also explains what the landmark Supreme Court case, DC vs. Heller, has done to gun control and whether he agrees with the "more guns, less crime" thesis.

Other topics include: media bias and gun rights, Alabama's prohibition on selling sex toys, and whether judges can be nannies.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Alex Manning and Hawk Jensen. Edited by Paul Detrick.

Approximately nine-and-a-half minutes.

3 Reasons Not To Sweat The Citizens United Ruling

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:00:00 EST

No recent Supreme Court ruling have evoked more liberal fury than Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a campaign-finance case involving government censorship of a political documentary called Hillary: The Movie. The Federal Election Commission prevented the anti-Hillary Clinton film from being shown on television just before the 2008 Democratic primaries, a decision that was upheld by lower courts. Siding with The First Amendment, the Court struck down laws regulating independent political advertising by for-profit and non-profit corporations before an election even as they reaffirmed rules about disclosure and disclosures for ads and against direct corporate giving to candidates.

Critics fear that corporations will now overwhelm the political marketplace with commercials and advertisements that will program citizens to vote for whatever agenda "the corprations" want at a given moment.

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann railed against the decision, calling it "a Supreme Court-sanctioned murder of what little democracy is left in this democracy" and comparing it to the notorious Dred Scott decision, which ruled that blacks had no rights under the Constitution. His fellow corporate media host at MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, exclaimed, "If you are a regular person who has ever made a campaign donation before, forget about ever having to do that again. What's the point?"

Cyberlaw theorist Lawrence Lessig has called for a consitutional amendment to roll back the Citizens United ruling and President Barack Obama called out the Supreme Court during his 2010 State of the Union address, proclaiming to a standing ovation:

The Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections.

Is there any truth to some hyperbolic, doomsday scenarios? In a word, no. The Citizens United ruling increases freedom of political speech, not simply for powerful, politically connected corporations like Citigroup, AIG, and the companies that run The New York Times and other media outlets, but for small-pocketed nonprofits such as Citizens United too. If you want to get bent out of shape about something, direct your ire at a massive and constantly growing government that has its hands in virtually every aspect of economic and social life in America.

"3 Reasons Not to Sweat The Citizens United Ruling" was written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts.

For Reason.com's archive on the Citizens United case, go here.

Approximately 3.30 minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions.

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Writer-director Marcus Dunstan on "torture porn," censorship, and his new film Saw VI

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with filmmaker Marcus Dunstan who, along with his writing partner Patrick Melton, wrote the last three Saw films, including Saw VI, which hits theaters October 23. This summer Dunstan made his directorial debut with The Collector, which he and Melton also wrote. (Disclosure: Balaker's wife was a producer on The Collector.)

In this eight-minute interview, Dunstan and Balaker discuss Saw VI, censorship, red band trailers (which cannot be shown on television), how new media outlets like Ain't It Cool News are challenging traditional tastemakers, and whether calling a film "torture-porn" is actually a compliment.

Reason.tv's Marcus Dunstan interview was produced by Ted Balaker. Director of Photography: Alex Manning; Set Designer: Hawk Jensen; Editor: Zach Weissmueller; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick.

Cuban Punk Gorki Aguila on Music, Life, and Getting Led Zeppelin Records in Cuba

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:31:00 EDT

Gorki Águila is blunt in his assessment of Fidel Castro's half century of revolution: "Communism is a failure. A total failure. Please, leftists of the world-improve your capitalism! Don't choose communism!" Águila, a Havana resident, wears homemade anti-government t-shirts, frequently denounces the Castro brothers as geriatric tyrants, and heads up perhaps Cuba's only explicitly political punk band, Porno Para Ricardo. And because of his stubborn belief in free speech, he is routinely arrested on charges of "social dangerousness." Tired of his anti-regime music, Cuban authorities made the rare decision to grant Águila a visa to travel abroad, perhaps hoping that he wouldn't return.

In September, Reason.tv's Michael C. Moynihan caught up with Águila on the Washington, D.C. leg of his American promotional tour to talk about his music, the origins of Porno Para Ricardo, and how long it takes to get Led Zeppelin records in a totalitarian society.

Approximately 7 minutes. Shot by Meredith Bragg. Edited by Dan Hayes.

Throw-Pillow Fight

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:00:00 EDT

Should moving a throw pillow get you fined or jailed?

With all the artistry and attitude, it's no wonder design shows are so much fun. But are the people on those shows putting your life, and even the president's life, at risk?

Natasha Lima-Younts can't see how she's putting anyone's life at risk. She's been an interior designer for more than 20 years. She started her own business, and hired dozens of employees. She has an extensive portfolio and magazine features about her work. What she doesn't have is a state license. That doesn't bother Yount's client Angie Stoeker, who loves what Younts has done with her home, but it does bother those who push for licensing laws.

Alabama politicians once threatened unlicensed designers with jail time—moving a throw pillow could get you a year behind bars—and 22 states plus the District of Columbia regulate interior designers. Industry groups lobby for such laws because they say unlicensed designers put lives at risk. "Every decision an interior designer makes affects the health, safety, and, welfare of the public," says the the American Society of Interior Designers. Another group implies that "confusing floor patterns" and other items installed by unlicensed interior designers cause 11,000 deaths per year.

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie went looking for dead bodies, and for an explanation for why the state of Florida launched a legal case against Younts. State regulators demand that she obtain a license, a license she says she doesn't need, a license that could cost her six years and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Do licensing laws protect consumers from death and destruction or, as the Interior Design Protection Council argues, do they protect licensed designers from competition? Should Younts be stripped of the career it took her decades to build? Should President Obama be worried about his interior designer, the unlicensed Michael Smith? Jump into the throw-pillow fight and decide for yourself.

"Throw-Pillow Fight" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Director of photography is Roger Richards.

Reason.tv at Sundance: Shouting Fire!

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:30:00 EST

Martin Garbus' client list spans from Nelson Mandela to Don Imus. He defended comedian Lenny Bruce against obscenity charges and argued for neo-Nazis' right to march in the predominantly Jewish town of Skokie, Illiniois.

Garbus is featured in the new documentary Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech. The film is directed by his daughter Liz Garbus, and screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker caught up with Martin Garbus at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Killer Chic

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:29:00 EST

Gisele Bundchen wears him on the runway, Johnny Depp wears him around his neck, and Benicio Del Toro becomes him in the new, highly acclaimed, two-part epic film from Steven Soderbergh, Che. Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the revolutionary who helped found communist Cuba, is the celebrity that celebrities adore. And be it Madonna, Rage Against the Machine, or Jay-Z, musicians really dig Che.

It’s something that baffles Cuban jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera. “Che hated artists, so how is it possible that artists still today support the image of Che Guevara?” Turns out the rebellious icon that emblazons countless T-shirts actually enforced aesthetic and political conformity. D’Rivera explains that Che and other Cuban authorities sought to ban rock and roll and jazz.

“Che was an inspiration for me,” D’Rivera tells reason.tv. “I thought I have to get out of this island as soon as I can, because I am in the wrong place at the wrong time!” D’Rivera did escape Cuba, and so far he’s won nine Grammy awards playing the kind of music Che tried to silence. But D’Rivera says Che’s crimes didn’t end with censorship. “He ordered the execution of many people with no trial.” Che served as Castro’s chief executioner, presiding over the infamous La Cabana prison. D’Rivera says Che’s policy of killing innocents earned him the nickname—the Butcher of La Cabana.

“We’re rightly horrified by fascist murderers like Adolph Hitler,” says reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie. “Why aren’t we also horrified by communist killers?” Certainly, Che’s body count isn’t anywhere near Hitler’s. But what about someone Che idolized, someone whom he might have liked to wear on his chest?

“Che, Castro, all the communist regimes idolized only one thing that Mao personifies—violence.” Kai Chen grew up in China under the reign of Mao Zedong. Although he won gold medals for China’s national basketball team, Chen’s was far from the celebrity life of an NBA star. Says Chen, “You have no right to talk, and you have no right to think.”

The punishment for questioning Mao’s authority was often death. The Black Book of Communism estimates that Mao is responsible for the deaths of 65 million people—a figure that dwarfs even Hitler’s body count. “Mao is a murderer,” says Chen. “The biggest mass murderer in human history.”

And yet, like Che, Mao’s image is becoming an increasingly popular way to move merchandise. You can buy Mao t-shirts, mugs, caps—you name it. Near Chen’s Los Angeles home there’s even a restaurant called Mao’s Kitchen. “Can you imagine a restaurant called Hitler’s Kitchen?” asks Gillespie.

Neither D’Rivera nor Chen understands why communist killers are considered Chic, but each finds his own way to have the last laugh on these anti-capitalist icons.

"Killer Chic" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Director of Photography is Alex Manning.

Closing music, "Che Guevara T-Shirt Wearer," courtesy of The Clap. Listen to the whole song here.

The United States v. John Stagliano

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In April, the government indicted pornographer John Stagliano in a federal court in Washington, D.C. on multiple charges of obscenity for producing and distributing two fetish movies, Milk Nymphos and Storm Squirters 2: Target Practice, and a trailer for another porn collection. All appeared on his company's adult-only website, evilangel.com.

If convicted and sentenced to maximum jail time on each charge, Stagliano, one of the most popular, innovative, and award-winning XXX-rated movie kings in history, effectively faces a lifetime sentence. His next court date is scheduled for November, shortly after Election Day.

In April, reason.tv's Nick Gillespie talked with Stagliano in a candid, wide-ranging 20-minute conversation about the government's case against him and his defense strategy, the role that porn plays in the average viewer's life, how he came to his libertarian beliefs, how contracting HIV was the best thing that ever happened to him, his record of innovation in the adult-film world, and much, much more.

To listen of an audio podcast, go here.

To read a partial transcript of the interview, go here.

Who's Winning the War on Sex?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

reason.tv recently caught up with author Marty Klein to chat about his book America's War on Sex: The Attack on Law, Lust and Liberty.

"Our glorious Constitution," says Klein, a certified sex therapist and frequent expert witness in anti-censorship court cases, "guarantees us the widest range of right civilization has ever seen. Why are those rights systematically damaged and repealed when it comes to sexual expression?"

Approximately four-and-a-half minutes.

Porn Star Politics

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:06:00 EST

Hustler magazine publisher, Larry Flynt, has been pushing the envelope of taste, and fighting for his right to do so, since the 1970s. In a 1988 landmark Supreme Court case, the court held that Flynt had the right to publish a parody ad in which evangelist Jerry Falwell--an outspoken critic of Flynt--describes his "first time" as having been with his mother, "drunk off our God-fearing asses," in an outhouse. The justices held that a parody of a public figure is protected under the 1st Amendment even if it is "doubtless gross and repugnant."

In that case alone, Flynt spent $3 million fighting for our first amendment rights (thanks, Larry!) and, amazingly, he and Falwell eventually became close friends.

Today, Hustler continues to explore the intersections of porn and politics. This video provides a rare look at US politics through the eyes of porn stars.

EXPELLED

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:04:00 EST

Ben Stein's entry into the world of feature-length documentaries:

Ben realizes that he has been “Expelled,” and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.

Go here for some trailers, and an O'Reilly Factor appearance by Stein, in which Bill declares that the "secular pinheads haven't figured it out."

RELATED: Reason.tv interviews Michael Shermer .

Thai flight attendants not necessarily sexy

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:34:00 EST

Nor are they bed-hopping brawlers who tussle with co-workers at 35,000 feet.

That’s the message being delivered by members of the Thai Airways union. They’re furious about how a popular soap opera depicts their profession, and are pressuring the Thai government to can “War of Angels.”

Although a ban seems unlikely, the series’ creator has buckled somewhat. He promises there will be no more girl-on-girl fights while flight attendants are on duty or in uniform in public.

Long-Arming the Libel Tourist

jsullum@reason.com (Jacob Sullum) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:06:00 EST

Last week the New York Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case that pits freedom of speech against British libel law. Israeli-American criminologist Rachel Ehrenfeld is challenging a libel judgment against her obtained by Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz, whom she identified in her 2003 book Funding Evil as a source of financial support for terrorism. Last June the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit allowed her lawsuit to proceed, but the case hinges to some extent on issues of state law, one of which the New York Court of Appeals is now considering: whether New York's "long arm" statute can reach a defendant such as Bin Mahfouz who is outside the U.S.

Calling Bin Mahfouz to account before a U.S. court seems only fair, given his strategy in trying to shut Ehrenfeld up. Although her book was published in the U.S., Bin Mahfouz sued her in London to take advantage of England's pro-plaintiff libel rules, which he has used to intimidate other critics into silence. The excuse for suing Ehrenfeld in the U.K. was that people there (possibly cronies of Bin Mahfouz) had bought 23 copies of the book online. In 2005 a British judge issued a default judgment against Ehrenfeld, ordering her to apologize, pay Bin Mahfouz about $230,000, and destroy all copies of her book. Jared Lapidus, a fellow at the Moving Picture Institute ("Promoting Freedom Through Film"), has produced an eight-minute documentary about the case, which the prominent civil libertarian (and reason contributor) Harvey Silverglate calls "one of the most important First Amendment cases of the past 25 years." Although Lapidus gets a little distracted by how awful the Saudis are, the video does communicate the dangers of libel tourism pretty well.

I mentioned the Ehrenfeld case on Hit & Run last month. Silverglate considered the implications in a 2006 Boston Globe op-ed piece co-authored by Samuel Abady. Katherine Mangu-Ward interviewed Rob Pfaltzgraff, the Moving Picture Institute's executive director, in the October issue of reason.