I personally like the rule. The way I see it, it attempts for allow for (1) dragging feet from inside and (2) account for unintentional movements of the tape. I also get that there is the problem of (3) somebody intentionally lifting the tape and placing themselves insider while being outside. To me, the rule *could* be simplified to:
– Any unintentional movement of the tape stands (weather, players or anything else)
– As long as the utmost point of contact is below and not beyond the tape, it is in (so dragging a tape even if vertical is in)
But I understand that no matter how it’s written, there will be a grey area, where things go back to rule #1: Don’t be an arse (paraphrased, the official rules are more tactful).
Cheers,
Wolf