excerpts from digital-copyright Digest 21 Jun 2004 15:00:00 -0000 Issue 389

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

US law seeks to stamp out all copyright abuses
By Declan McCullagh, June 18 2004

http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39121479,00.htm

"A forthcoming bill in the US Senate would, if passed, dramatically
reshape copyright law by prohibiting file-trading networks and some
consumer electronics devices on the grounds that they could be used for
unlawful purposes.  The proposal, called the Induce Act, says "whoever
intentionally induces any violation" of copyright law would be legally
liable for those violations, a prohibition that would effectively ban
file-swapping networks such as Kazaa and Morpheus. In the draft bill
seen by silicon.com's sister site News.com, inducement is defined as
"aids, abets, induces, counsels, or procures" and can be punished with
civil fines and, in some circumstances, lengthy prison terms.

Draft: http://scrawford.net/courses/INDUCE%20Act%20of%202004.pdf

Jack Valenti opposes ClearPlay filter

By Big News Network.com, 19th June, 2004
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=3Db75db35f76e81274

"Hollywood's top lobbyist is urging Congress not to pass a bill to
exempt the use of filtering software from copyright law, The Hollywood
Reporter said Friday."

>From BNA: Bna.com

"CT. UPHOLDS RESTORATION OF COPYRIGHT TO PUBLIC DOMAIN WORKS The
District Court for D.C. has dismissed a suit challenging the
constitutionality of Section 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act,
which restores copyright protection to foreign copyright holders whose
works remain protected in their origin country, but entered the public
domain in the United States. The section, which implements Article 18 of
the Berne Convention, was challenged by a music sheet company that
publishes public domain works and by a family-owned business that
preserves films dating back to the 1900s. The case was first brought in
2001 but stayed pending the outcome of the Eldred case. Case name is
Luck's Music Library v. Ashcroft. Decision at
http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2220.pdf";

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Chuck Hamaker