Play Meter

ju k box
opyright rat ' incr a s
that v n xc d d th c laim of on
of th
so i ties represe nting th
c opyright own r !
Op rator w r outrag d. W hy
had th AMOA agreed to a p r ·
juk box as
sm nt in th e fir t
pi a e? A m jo rit y of juk box
op rators ·:rongly believed that the
1 r j ukebox a ·sessmen t wc1 doubl
taxation since they wer> air ady
paying t h c 1 yright ro ya lt y wh n
th y purc ha -d th r cord -.
Th n , right on the hee ls of tha t
maj r
tback. ca m IPW that th
U. . Supr m Court had d >c id d it
would not r view th AMOA's case
again t th
RT, that th > RT had
th e right, under th e n w law. to
r qu1r
p rators to ubmit lists of
th ir ju k b x loca tion . And th
national as oc ia ti on had
p nt
$100 ,000 for a fruit! ss co urt case
that wa def ated ev> r y t p along
th way .
Th n
Jo Robbins: heCide d the
newly-form d ADMA.
Ira Be ll /man : led the
distrib (A VMOA) group.
ling .
A erie of inv stigative arti e!
f !low d in Pla y Me ter. in luding (I)
a t teme nt from a congr ssm an who
I d th
A M OA did n o t
sive ly pursue th op rator
t on the jukeb x copyright
m It r in the H ouse of Repr s nta
tiv ; and (2) th te timony of a
form r ,
xp II d offic r of th
AMOA who r veal d how
rt in
import nt AMOA de i ions wer
mad .
Th n ame th on ly bit of good
n w
nthej ukebox copyrightfr nt .
Th CRT announ ed tha t it w -
dis
ntinuing i t s locati n li I
requirem nt. Th A M OA us d thi
f vorabl de ision by th e fed ral
agen y as proof that it wa s doing it
job. But the AMOA 's !aim f il d to
hold up.
Th chairman of th CRT revealed
that th AMOA played no h nd t II
in turning th one de ision th t w n t
in f vor of jukebox opera tors .
Manufa c turers and di stributors
organi z e
With th e opera tors' nation
PLAY METE R, De ce mber 15. 1981
a sociation failing to ·how I <.1d r ship
in such ar as as g rc~ y ga m
co pyright litigation . ad v >rti sing <.~nd
1 ublic rei ti ns pr gram s, and a
c lea ringhous
of I >gisla tive infor ·
mation it w s I ft for o th e r
egmen ts of th indu tr y to band
tog th r to form th
a ociation .
Th e manufac tur r · wer ' th first
to do o. Spurr >d n by a federdl
r gu l ation whi ch would h ave
virtually s topp d v id o gam
produ c ti on , gam ' manufa tur r -
red li zed that , although th y'r 111
ca mp titian with c.1c h o ther. they
·har d co mmon cone >rn s in - v >ral
ar as among th m vid>o ga nv
co pyright
Th e a ociation brought toge ther
m o I of I h
me jo r Am erica n
fac tories, wh i h jomed together a
th e Amu s m nt D vice M a nu
facturers A oc iation (ADMA). The
a
cia tion hir d it own execu ti ve
dir c tor at mid year and ha sough t
enlisting th r st o f th fcc to ri e a -
memb r s.
A f w month aft r th manu -
fc.K turer · inco rporated, a group of
eli ·tril utor join d toge th >r fo r th
Sd nw purpose to prot c t th ir
·p Cldi mterests . This as ocia ti on,
th e Amu · eme nt an d V nding
M ach 11w Di stri bu tor
A - ocia tion
(AVMDA ). c1iso hi red an exec ut ive
dir >c tor ,mel l >ga n nli sting th r
dis tributor · to joi n .
A · tlw gro ups stdrt ed to work o n
their mdividudl interests. it b ame
lllC redsi ngly ck-'dr that th r wa till
d nPed fo r d u1111ed mdu~t r c1c tion on
·eve r public rel<1tions program. a c ntral
cl >aringhouse o f info rm lion on
legi lati ve ma tt ers. and o on.
on - quently. the thr e a soci -
t1 o ns ADMA. AMOA. AVMDA
helVe expr > ·- >d a willingne s to work
together for co mmon goals. Wh tis
not c len is if thi s fragm n tation,
b ro ught c1bout becau e f a lack of
i ndu ~ tr y l >ader hip , ca n b
ove r come to mold together us ful
industry programs of ben fit to all
thr > > • >gments o f th industry.
T he m ed ia a nd gove rnm e nt
It has b en a ye r f th m dia'
- >izing coin o p as it would
sudd >nl y eli -cove r d tuna swimming
in it s backyd rd pool. A naly ts in print
hav > sunk th ir jou rn alistic t thin ,
have k ept bi ting for them at on the
bone s, and in dggr gat probably
hav n't understood the b ast any
b tt er ft r letting go.
M dia fi ld day with c oin -op
I troni gam shavebee na bright
as a sc ho larl y accoun t in Scien e 81
magdzine about th dev I pm nt of
th acl v nc d game today. And , too,
th y've ft n be n as pr dictable a
an o ld s w, w ith new pap r art icles
suc h as those tit led " Playe r H ook d
on Gam " (M emphis Cammer ial
App >a/, O c t b r II) o r " Vid a -
Gam Industry H its the Ja kpot!
(San Fra nci co Chronicle , S p -
temb r 7). Th
public ha b n
barr g d with tel vi ion att ention on
pinball
and vid o , and among
o ther r suiting pic tur
is th one
th e t there is a $500 -a-w ek pot of
go ld ·tanding every five f t in an
amu s m ent arcad .
A ll o f whi c h hd s not esc p d th e
I t d offi ial ,
no ti ce of locdl
dlth ugh their grilsp o f th c oin -op
bu ·in s if ften no I
sha llow th n
the m > d1c1·~.
H ere dr two oppo ing ttorn ys
Q Med for a court fight: Say on , " If
it" ,, fundam ntal right. suc h as th
ri ght of minors to as ocia: , th
ri gh ts of xpr ssion lo r mmors, o r
then th sta te
th right of - ll er
show an overrid ing ,
h as t
om p !ling interest in abridging that
17