Companies which rent and sell Hollywood films with the sex and violence edited out are facing legal action from the Directors Guild Of America (DGA).

They have targeted 13 companies and individuals who they say are deleting sex, violence and strong language from films before renting or selling them to customers.

And they are also seeking an injunction against the sale of software which allows consumers to edit the films themselves through computers or DVD players.

The DGA, which filed a lawsuit on Monday at the US District Court in Denver, Colorado, says such actions are an infringement of copyright.

"What these companies are doing is wrong, plain and simple," said DGA president Martha Coolidge.

Counterclaim

"It is wrong to cut scenes from a film, just as it is to rip pages from a book, simply because we don't like the way something was portrayed then resell it with the original title and creator's name on it.

"It is wrong to circumvent the studios, who are copyright holders, and the director, who is the film's creator, all in the name of turning a profit."

The DGA would "aggressively pursue these claims", she added.

Martin Scorsese is also involved in the first suit

The lawsuit came as part of a counterclaim to a suit filed last month by a franchise of national video chain CleanFlicks, which sells edited versions of films.

The Utah-based company, which has said it has a patent pending for a new way to edit films, is suing 16 directors, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford and Robert Altman, as part of its case.

Disclaimer

They have asked the courts for the legal right to re-edit films under the right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

CleanFlicks has argued that it does not break copyright law because it purchases a new copy of a film each time it is edited.

Their edited tapes also carry a disclaimer saying that the film has been edited for content.

The Motion Picture Association Of America, which classifies films before they are shown in US cinemas, has voiced its support for the DGA.

"The altering of a film by anyone not involved in the creation of that film is a dangerous arena," said president Jack Valenti.