What is VidAngel?
VidAngel is a streaming and filtering service founded in 2014 that allows users to filter potentially objectionable content like profanity, nudity, and violence from movies and TV shows. It works through a unique process - users first purchase digital copies of movies and TV shows on DVD or Blu-Ray. Then, VidAngel creates filtered versions, allowing users to skip over scenes or mute audio containing unwanted content. Once finished viewing, users sell these filtered versions back to VidAngel for a partial refund.
This process was designed to comply with the First Sale Doctrine, which allows the purchaser of a physical copy of a copyrighted work to resell, lend out, or dispose of that particular copy without permission from the copyright holder. However, in 2016, Disney, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit against VidAngel for copyright infringement. They argued that the service still violated copyright law despite their attempt to follow the First Sale Doctrine.
In 2018, the court issued an injunction to shut down core elements of VidAngel's service. Since then, the company has been trying to find legal ways to continue providing filtered content. Their latest attempt uses fixed filtering templates rather than custom filters created for each user. They also shifted to a streaming model based on content licenses, rather than requiring users to temporarily purchase and resell discs.
VidAngel filled a niche for viewers who wanted more control over what kind of content they viewed. However, the lawsuits raised complex questions about copyright limitations and control. The service aims to find legal ways to satisfy consumer demand for filtered content while respecting the rights and concerns of copyright holders.