Netflix and the library. This meme goes on......

Rebecca Fitzgerald post on tame the web Using Netflix at an Academic Library seems to have gone wild. Her original comments pointed the following :-

Our academic library in New York started a Netflix subscription last Fall. We started out with one account allowing for the maximum number of DVDs, 8 at a time. By the middle of Spring semester, we had two accounts. The New Media professor took over the prior, and we made the new one for all other courses. New Media requires many movies for students to watch. Our library has a very limited budget when it comes to film purchasing, especially popular titles. Netflix has saved us an enormous amount of money (around $3,000) by allowing the physical rentals as well as instant play. The streaming movies have been a great success; instead of students waiting for the one DVD on reserve, they can go to the computer or into the library’s film viewing room, where we have a Roku player set up, and watch the movies on our flat screen TV. The amount we save just having the instant play is significant; it’s almost like having multiple copies of the movie on reserve.

I was a bit concerned about this. It obviously goes against terms and conditions of netflix contract. These being that the films are for PERSONAL use only. Other have also mentioned this in more detail.

Read write web has an interest article on the subject called Netflix Turns a Blind Eye to Illegal Use by School Libraries. Seems that:-

Steve Swasey, Netflix' vice president of corporate communications, but indicated no plans to enforce the rules. "We just don't want to be pursuing libraries," he said. "We appreciate libraries and we value them, but we expect that they follow the terms of agreement."

Not sure that the film studios would agree with that sentiment. As the experts on copyright etc libraries should be upholding it, rather than using it to our own advantage.

Techdirt articles....again

Over on Techdirt they point out that Blockbuster and Netflix have sorted out their patient dispute. The dispute being that Blockbuster was copying netflixs business model. I do find it frustrating that business models are being patented. Jefferson would turn in his grave if he knew this.

Netflix, are they joining Amazon?

Netflix, the DVD rental company has been making ruption in its share prices (so say Businessweek). Businessweek believe that Amazon could soon make an approach. With Amazon already acquiring Shelfari, Amazon seem to be cranking the investment up to increase there search facilities (and like businessweek, Amazon's unbox has hardly been a great success). The acquisition seems a pretty good one, as with there database on sales would greatly add to more longtail sales.