I recently commented how forcing ads on viewers – via technology or other means – is bad for programmers and bad for advertisers, and ultimately annoys viewers. It’s just bad all around! Well, it appears the courts of Sweden believe commercials are also bad for artistic integrity:
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — A Swedish appeals court on Wednesday ruled that a TV station violated the artistic integrity of two filmmakers by interrupting their movies with commercial breaks.
Swedish director and screenwriter Vilgot Sjoman, who died Sunday, had sued TV4 along with director Claes Eriksson after it interrupted their movies in 2002 with several commercial breaks.
The two movies, Sjoman’s "Alfred" and Eriksson’s "The Shark Who Knew Too Much" were made before Swedish broadcasting laws allowed commercial stations to interrupt movies with advertisements, and the Svea Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling saying the station violated the directors’ integrity and copyright, since they had not given permission for the breaks.
The entire April 12, 2006 story from the AP is here.