All posts by Jeffrey Harmon

Dear Haters: “I Could Be Wrong”

Legal Battle, Trial
VidAngel has taken some pretty brutal uneducated attacks in the last week from those on social media who HATE skipping/filters: “criminals”, “theft”, “pirates”…

In response I remembered a few comments from the Judge, who ruled against VidAngel, that might offer some context into how civil disputes actually work (and perhaps a little less judging🤞).

“And, again, I could be wrong and the Ninth Circuit could be wrong. I have no ego about that, but, if we’re going to play by the rules, you have a ruling, you appeal it, and a decision is made.”

–From the Judge during trial on Tuesday, June 11th

“They [VidAngel] think that the Family Movie Act generally allows them to do that.  And they may be right. The Supreme Court may take up this issue and they may decide it.”

-From the Judge during trial on Friday, June 14th

“Obviously, the verdict didn’t come out the way you [VidAngel] would have liked, but at least it’s been my observation that you all are fighters, that you all are fighters and are reflective, thoughtful, and you will persevere through this.”

“And you will take this matter, whether it’s appealing this trial or appealing to the Supreme Court or appealing to your legislature, I have no doubt that you have perseverance and intellect that will get you far in your respective careers. So I wish you all the best.”

From the Judge during trial on the day of the verdict, June 17th

 

If the judge who made the ruling himself isn’t 100% about his own ruling, I am pretty sure we can ignore all the self-righteous comments accusing others of being criminals or thieves.

He might be right in the end.  We might be right in the end. In a case of first impression, we won’t know until we finish moving through the court system.  This is a civil disagreement NOT a criminal case.

…and it isn’t over.

 

UPDATE: The Chosen Is Taking Biblical Accuracy Seriously

VidAngel Studios

MAKING THE CHOSEN BIBLICALLY ACCURATE:

I was grateful to be able to join Dallas Jenkins and Rabbi Jason Sobel as they visited the Holy Land to do on site Biblical research for The Chosen. I was so impressed with the lengths the team is going to in order to be certain that the series is Biblically accurate. It was one of the most memorable trips of my life.

The series is going to be INCREDIBLE. Here’s a video about the Garden of Gethsemane.

And here are some photos of the trip.

filming a short video in preparation for SEC qualification.

Just behind Dallas you can see where the Temple stood in Christ’s time.

Me 🙂

On location where Peter was called by Jesus.

The area where Christ told the Apostles to Cast Their Nets On The Other-side.

Just a stones through from where the Garden of Gethsemane is traditionally believed to have been.

Praying at The Western Wall of the Temple.

 

 

VidAngel: Now Providing Sunday Naps for Parents

Parents, Uncategorized

As a father of 4 girls under the age of 5, my world needs a streaming platform that I can trust my little ones to enjoy while I grab a desperately needed 30 min Sunday nap. VidAngel is solving this problem, beginning with the release of Owlegories.

Owlegories is an amazing, animated series that follows a group of student owls on their adventures learning about nature, faith, and God. And my kids LOVE it…and I can TRUST it while I grab a nap.

I know my girls LOVE Owlegories because they now request “the owls”…even over Veggietales. And my wife and I are better parents because we get the much-needed Sunday nap without having to screen everything our girls watch.

This is the beginning of our effort to give parents of little children a break from the relentless needs of being a great parent without sacrificing your kids.

What features would help you give your kids a controlled TV experience that both you and they can enjoy? Let us know how we can continue to improve VidAngel for youngsters.

9th Circuit Court Ruling Has No Impact On VidAngel’s New System

Legal Battle, New Releases, Press

(Los Angeles, CA—August 24, 2017) VidAngel, the market-leading entertainment platform empowering users to filter language, nudity, violence, and other content from movies and TV series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO—using modern streaming platforms such as iOS, Android, and ROKU—has been engaged in a high-profile legal battle with Disney, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm for more than a year. These Hollywood studios are engaged in a legal effort to render the 2005 Family Movie Act useless in the 21st century, preventing VidAngel and other services from lawfully empowering parents and families to filter content on modern devices in their homes. VidAngel has responded by engaging in a robust, crowd-funded legal defense in which the company is prepared to take its case all the way to the Supreme Court.

Today, VidAngel appellate attorney Peter K. Stris issued the following statement in response to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to deny the filtering company’s appeal of a preliminary injunction granted by the Los Angeles District Court:

“We are of course disappointed in this decision and we’re reviewing our strategy for moving forward.”

VidAngel CEO Neal Harmon has also issued a statement:

“Today’s decision has absolutely no impact on VidAngel’s current service, we remain open for business. While all of the legal back-and-forth plays out, we know our customers are grateful to still have a way to protect their kids and filter harmful content. On the legal front, we are just getting started. We will fight for a family’s right to filter on modern technology all the way.”

About VidAngel VidAngel is the market-leading entertainment platform empowering users to filter language, nudity, violence, and other content from movies and TV shows on modern streaming devices such as iOS, Android, and Roku. The company’s newly launched service empowers users to filter via their Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO on Amazon Prime accounts, as well as enjoy original content produced by VidAngel Studios. Its signature original series, Dry Bar Comedy, now features the world’s largest collection of clean standup comedy and has earned rave reviews from audiences nationwide.

Why Can’t I Filter Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros on the NEW VidAngel?

Legal Battle

Disney and other studios are trying to block even the NEW VidAngel System, even though we met all their previous demands.  Don’t worry, we have thousands of the best titles available. But in 3 minutes, here’s why they’re trying to block us, and how you can help.

A year ago, Disney sued VidAngel and persuaded a judge to temporarily close our old site. ‘Cause Disney used the same rationale it used on the Tower of Terror: “A lot of people love this. Let’s shut it down.”

We think they were in the wrong, as you can see in our video addressing VidAngel’s legality. But while we keep fighting the legal battle, we’ve released a new system that meets Disney’s demands:

  • 1) Pay creators through normal streaming channels, and…
  • 2) Don’t use decryption.

 

Yet Disney’s still trying to block us in court from filtering their movies. So it begs the question — how can it get all it wanted, and still not be happy?

Here’s the problem. Disney says Hollywood’s ok with filtering, just not with VidAngel’s model. But look at the history — Hollywood’s not ok with filtering. Except for filtering dollars out of actresses’ paychecks.

Sony recently tried to release cleaned-up versions of movies, but the Directors Guild threatened to sue for violating contracts that forbid filtering — contracts we know exist because of the Sony leak in 2014. So Sony backed down.

VidAngel (in the past) and our competitor ClearPlay (more recently) tried to filter using a Google Play plugin, but VidAngel got a cease-and-desist letter and ClearPlay was quietly blocked from adding new movies. Now that service doesn’t work at all.  And if ClearPlay’s new service gets big enough to bother Disney, it can be blocked in the same way, by enforcing anti-filtering contracts.

Hollywood studios may say they’re ok with filtering, but look at their actions. They’ve opposed the Family Movie Act, threatened to sue Sony, and actually sued VidAngel, ClearPlay, Cleanflix, and every other filtering company in history prior to VidAngel.

If you ask their permission, they reject you. And if you don’t ask, they sue you. They may say it’s not about filtering. But if Sauron sues Frodo and claims it’s not about the ring, you won’t believe him ‘cause he’s clearly obsessed with the ring. Though that analogy’s not perfect, ‘cause Sauron’s empire is way smaller than Disney’s.

But now you can help. Senator Orrin Hatch and other members of Congress are working to find a solution that allows families to filter on any device and any streaming platform. Please contact your own representatives, and ask them to support Senator Hatch’s efforts.

Here’s how.

Most effective: visit their offices. Very effective: give them a call. It’s like texting, but with your voice. Effective: Post on their Facebook and Twitter since, unfortunately, e-mail messages are often ignored.

To make it easier, you can go to SaveFiltering.VidAngel.com and enter your Zip Code to find their contact info and our advice on what to say.

Thanks for all you do. Now go enjoy our other titles.

LEGAL UPDATE: Setting the Record Straight About Disney’s False Set of Claims Concerning VidAngel and ClearPlay

VIDEO: Setting the Record Straight Concerning Disney’s False Claims About VidAngel and ClearPlay

Legal Battle 

UPDATE: We have discovered that in some instances, on some devices, it is possible to stream 1080p from Amazon.com on Google Chrome. We have corrected the video and images in this post accordingly.

VidAngel is back! But Hollywood isn’t going to let stay up without a fight.

Disney claims it supports parental filtering but in the words of a well-respected former U.S. Senator, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.”

Does Disney’s rhetoric match reality?

Let’s find out.

FACT: Disney is trying to block VidAngel’s new system from filtering movies. Here is a short video we submitted to the court Monday night taking a deeper look at its arguments:

It took 45 mins of repeatedly watching heads get blown open before we were able to get ClearPlay’s filters to work without crashing. After doing so, we counted at least 65 pauses while playing the movie. This is NOT what Congress intended when it passed the Family Movie Act, the law sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch that made filtering for families legal.

Want to know how you can help? Go to SaveFiltering.VidAngel.com, tell your Member of Congress to clarify the FMA to ensure its future. 

 

And, for those who are interested, let’s look at the other facts:

  • FACT: June 8th – Disney tells the Ninth Circuit that if VidAngel comes up with a system that isn’t “premised on the DMCA,” VidAngel should file a motion to clarify the preliminary injunction. Watch here.

  • FACT: June 19th – VidAngel submits a motion to clarify the injunction based on the new filtering system. Read motion.

  • FACT: June 20th –  Disney asks the judge either to strike VidAngel’s motion or allow it at least three months to look into every aspect of VidAngel’s business, obviously trying to drain our resources and buy time. Read motion.

  • FACT: June 21st – Senator Orrin Hatch announces his support of VidAngel and filtering.  Read story.

  • FACT: June 22th – VidAngel opposes Disney’s requests to strike or for more time and discovery: Read opposition.

  • FACT: The Court DENIES Disney’s requests to strike and for time time to conduct further discovery (give it up for small victories!).

  • FACT:  July 3rd – Disney files opposition to the new VidAngel Technology. Read opposition

  • FACT: July 10th – VidAngel files its reply. Read Reply.

  • UPDATE: July 31st – hearing in LA scheduled to present the truth to the District Court.

We think the Schells’ comment below posted on Facebook sums up Disney’s opposition well:

  • FACT: Disney’s words lead one to believe they support filtering, but its actions tell an entirely different story.

Want to know how you can help? Go to SaveFiltering.VidAngel.com, tell your Member of Congress that Disney’s Mickey Mouse image on filtering is Fantasy, or Fantasia if you wish.

UPDATE: Read VidAngel’s and Disney’s Appeal Briefs to the Ninth Circuit

Legal Battle, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Legal BattleJustice in the United States court system requires patience (this battle could take years to resolve), but we are trying to keep everyone up-to-date on the progress of the fight to #savefiltering. Here is our report on the appeal to the Ninth Circuit:

December 12th, 2016 - Judge Birotte issues a Preliminary Injunction. You can read the ruling here.
January 11th, 2017 - VidAngel files its Opening Brief on Appeal to the Ninth District Court. The introduction starts at page 17. 

February 8th, 2017 - Disney filed its response (including Disney's standard manipulative mud slinging)


February 22nd, 2017 - VidAngel files its final reply before the Ninth Circuit hearing.

VidAngel’s mission is to ensure families everywhere have the option to filter content as they wish. The future of filtering is in good hands because these appeals are being argued by Peter K. Stris, who has been to the Supreme Court 7 times.

There is a lot to digest, but we feel that the final two paragraphs of our most recent brief sum it up well:

"Although the public interest in filtering is strong and Congressionally sanctioned, the injunction robbed the public of any viable means to filter. VidAngel is shut down; ClearPlay no longer functions for [streaming] new releases; and the Studios have scared everyone else away.

"According to the Studios, the relevant public interest is in 'upholding copyright protections.' The Studios have confused themselves with the public. The actual public has no interest in seeing America’s only commercially and technologically viable filtering company destroyed through an unnecessary preliminary injunction. The legal questions in this case are as complex and novel as they are important. If the Studios prevail, they will be entitled to damages. If VidAngel prevails, they will not. In either case, there will be a final judgment that 'upholds copyright protections.'"
Now we are just waiting to know when we will get a hearing. We will continue to keep you up to date.

BREAKING: ClearPlay Streaming Has Secretly Been Shut Down Since September

Legal Battle, Press, , , ,

When a Federal judge decided to temporarily shut down VidAngel in December, he accepted the argument that ClearPlay still offered customers a viable filtering option. He said,

“[T]he evidence in the record shows that another filtering service, ClearPlay, offers filtering to Google Play users who access authorized streams from Google Play’s licensed service. An injunction in this case would not prevent VidAngel or any other company from providing a filtering service similar to ClearPlay’s, and thus wouldn’t negatively impact the public interest in watching filtered content in private.”

In making that finding, the court refused to credit VidAngel’s argument that the studios’  terms of service that Google must accept to stream motion pictures prohibit Google from allowing any applications to “modify the audio or visual components of any… content.”  As VidAngel’s expert witness had advised the court, ClearPlay relied on just such an application.

VidAngel has now learned that before Disney’s lawyers blithely assured the court that the Family Movie Act protected services such as ClearPlay’s and assured the court that VidAngel could offer such a service if it wanted, ClearPlay’s ability to filter new content had already been terminated.  Google implemented technical measures in September 2016 to prevent ClearPlay from filtering any new content.  Given that Google was enthusiastic about working with VidAngel to make filtered content available to families before they asserted their terms and conditions in 2014, it appears that the studios have now meted out equal treatment to ClearPlay.

That the cessation of ClearPlay’s filtering in September 2016 escaped notice until February 2017 highlights that customers never viewed ClearPlay’s service as good or convenient.   It also raises questions concerning whether Disney will notify the court that it misrepresented a key fact the court relied on in granting Disney’s requested injunction.

VidAngel learned what had happened only after a customer brought to its attention that ClearPlay had ceased adding new movies.

Gary

[redacted email]

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Clearplay’s streaming service isn’t functioning for any new movies. I called them today and they told me that Google changed “the code” (they had no additional details they could share) back in September, which is prohibiting their ability to stream movies. They have no idea when it will be fixed. The call ended with them trying to sell me a Blu-Ray player (what is that?) and asking me to try and find a red box. A red what?

Anyway, that one option pointed to by Disney isn’t even working now, and it hasn’t for months.

 Disney Claims ClearPlay Is The Legal Streaming Option – This Is What They Won’t Tell You 2017/02/03 at 11:10 pm

We checked ClearPlay’s site and verified that no new movie has been added since September 2016. The last available streamed movies were Ghostbusters (published in early September) and Independence Day (published in August). No movies posted then are streaming enabled. That had escaped our notice during trial because older videos were still up and running.
clearplay streaming shut down
clearplay streaming shut down
clearplay streaming secretly shut down
We then took a deep dive into the code and confirmed that Google had shut off its API as to all new movies published to its system. The logical explanation is that Google has now enforced the terms of service the studios imposed on it, preventing ClearPlay from offering a streamed filtering service. (For any curious engineers, we give instructions below for recreating our test.)

The bottom line is that the viewing public is currently left without a streamed filtering option for Hollywood content in spite of a federal law (the FMA) guaranteeing that right to customers. So far, Hollywood has successfully blocked every type of filtered streaming and has sued every company that ever provided filtered content (including ClearPlay).

Please call upon your Congressperson and Senators to clarify the Family Movie Act to make it even clearer that streamed filtering is legal. To find your Congress members’ contact information, and our advice on what to say, please visit SaveFiltering.VidAngel.com

 

 

To recreate the change in the code that has blocked ClearPlay, conduct the following steps:

Steps to recreate working code for older movies.

  1. Rent Independence Day Resurgence here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr1xNdTzS1M
  2. Go to the YouTube Player Demo and enter the YouTube ID: Wr1xNdTzS1M
  3. Click “Update Player with Selected Options”
  4. Try clicking “Play,”  “Pause,” or “Seek” and you’ll find that the controls function.
  5. If you enter 1000 seconds and click “Go,” it will skip. Or click “Mute” to mute.

Note the VIDEO ID below is Wr1xNdTzS1M and the video is loading properly.

image05

Steps to recreate code that no longer works for new releases.

  1. Rent Jack Reacher here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqkN55TzitE
  2. Go to the YouTube Player Demo and enter the YouTube ID: EqkN55TzitE
  3. Click “Update Player with Selected Options.”
  4. Try clicking “Play” or “Pause” and you’ll find the controls DO NOT function.
  5. If you enter 1000 seconds and click “Go,” it will NOT skip.
  6. After some time, you should get the message “An error occurred. Please try again later. Learn more.” (see below)

Note the VIDEO ID below is EqkN55TzitE and the video is NOT loading properly.

image03

You can repeat this process with any title in the ClearPlay library to confirm that ClearPlay has been blocked from filtering movies released after ClearPlay’s streaming was shut down by the Google Play/YouTube code change.

Disney Claims ClearPlay Is The Legal Streaming Option – This Is What They Won’t Tell You

FAQ, Legal Battle, , , , , , , , ,

UPDATE: ClearPlay Streaming Has Secretly Been Shut Down Since September

Disney claims ClearPlay is the legal streaming option. But because of studio restrictions ClearPlay’s service is severely limited (see graph below). What’s more, the studios have admitted they have the power to shut down that service at any time because ClearPlay is violating Google’s terms of service.

How does VidAngel know all this? Because we filtered movies on Google Play before ClearPlay did. The studios shut down our access to Google Chromecast HD streaming and we received a cease-and-desist for violating terms of service.

And this isn’t just antagonism to VidAngel, but to filtering in general. Google Play (which has licenses to stream Hollywood movies) later asked the Studios if they would filter HD movies using VidAngel technology. The studios said no again, this time to Google — one of the biggest companies in the world.

Lionsgate and Sony have also expressed interest in licensing to VidAngel because they realize the filtering market is huge. But they are forbidden to do so by their contracts with the Directors Guild of America.

This IS about filtering. Disney understands that if they can win a fight over decryption or copyright, then they can kill filtering (or render it unusable), allowing them to maintain a veto power over how you watch movies in privacy of your own home.

Fight for filtering by contacting Congress at savefiltering.vidangel.com #SaveFiltering

 

American Sniper took down our servers tonight

Technology

504 Error: The demand for American Sniper has overloaded our systems momentarily. We are working to keep our servers up, but it is far more traffic than we have had for any previous New Release and way more than we expected for this weekend while still in Private Beta. Thank you for your patience as we work to keep things running and upgrade the servers for next week. If you are having problems viewing let us know and we can get you a credit so you can watch your movie later.