Report Raises Questions About Fighting Online Piracy

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

http://nytimes.com/2004/03/01/technology/01rights.html?
Report Raises Questions About Fighting Online Piracy
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
nytimes (ONLINE) 
Published: March 1, 2004

The entertainment industry's pursuit of tough new laws to protect
copyrighted materials from online piracy is bad for business and for the
economy, according to a report being released today by the Committee for
Economic Development, a Washington policy group that has its roots in the
business world.

...critics warn that many of the new restrictions that the entertainment
industry proposes - like enforcing technological requirements for digital
television programming that would prevent it from being transmitted online
- would upset the balance between the rights of the content creators and
the rights of the public.

... the report, "Promoting Innovation and Economic Growth: The Special
Problem of Digital Intellectual Property."

...Until recently, those who opposed strong copyright protections have
been characterized by the entertainment industry as a leftist fringe with
no respect for the value of intellectual property.

The report also endorsed the private use of so-called digital rights
management systems to place some restrictions on copying, so long as they
are not required by government and do not impose too great a burden on
consumers. The group also recommended finding economic tools that could
encourage copyright holders to allow their works to enter the public
domain somewhat earlier than the law allows.

.. The group called for a two-year moratorium on changes to copyright laws
and regulations to allow for more public debate. "Our first concern should
be to 'do no harm,' " the report said.

.. Cary H. Sherman, the president of the Recording Industry Association of
America, said that "there isn't a lot here to disagree with" from his
industry's perspective, since the recording industry signed an agreement
with technology companies a year ago stating that it would not push for
government-mandated technology solutions for its copyright problems.

"I certainly agree that there shouldn't be any rush to judgment where new
technologies and intellectual property issues are in conflict," he said,
"but one should also not assume that one could wait forever."