JUDGE IN BETAMAX CASE DIES
Monday, July 14 2008
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Federal Judge Warren Ferguson, whose decision in the so-called Betamax case in 1979 set the stage for the home-video revolution, died on June 25 in Fullerton,CA, published reports said Sunday. Ferguson had ruled in favor of the Sony Corporation which had been sued by Universal Studios and Walt Disney Productions, who had claimed that Sony's home recording device, the Betamax, would encourage copyright infringement and curtail their ability to syndicate reruns of their television shows and movies. Ferguson's ruling held that home recording was lawful, and the subsequent proliferation of video recorders eventually led to the studios themselves developing a new lucrative market for their library material.
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