When are movie and television studios going to learn that the internet effectively makes any country or region-specific premiere into a global premiere. It’s clear that piracy is simply a market correction for those markets that can’t legally obtain already-released content in their area. It’s the stubbornness of studios that refuse to give up on regional releases or that overcharge in certain markets that is fueling piracy. That, and cable monopolies that force viewers who want to watch one show that airs on a premium cable channel to buy an entire cable TV package.
Streaming services such as Hulu and the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) iPlayer similarly restrict content to certain geographical locations. Smaller countries with less buying power are sometimes overlooked completely when it comes to restrictions and late content releases, and at least one internet service provider (ISP) in New Zealand is saying “no more.”
Fyx is a new ISP in New Zealand founded on the promise to provide its customers with the most access and freedom that it can. The provider operates with what it calls “Global Mode,” enabled. For customers, this means they no loger have to worry about being locked out of region-restricted online content, and will no longer see messages such as this:
Fyx doesn’t go into detail about how they accomplish their Global Mode, but the company probably has a software solution that spoofs its location, rather than proxy servers in each content region. Fyx is also careful not to give its customers explicit permission to break the law, stating that compliance with any services’ terms and conditions is a subscribers’ responsibility.
What do you think? Is “Global Mode” a feature or is Fyx flouting some copyright law? Will Fyx stand strong in the face of the predictable lawsuit? Leave a comment below and let us know.
(via Ars Technica)