Sockfulloflove
January 16th, 2003, 09:32 PM
Source: Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=711&ncid=711&e=2&u=/usatoday/20030115/tc_usatoday/4780005)
The music and computer industries have reached an agreement -- of sorts -- in their long-running battle over online piracy and consumers' digital rights.
Both sides agreed to work together to stem piracy and improve ways to legitimately deliver online music -- and to stop seeking legislation from Congress to aid their causes.
''We're looking for ways to talk about the marriage of the recording industry to the computer industry that's good for consumers,'' says Recording Industry Association of America chairman Hilary Rosen, who participated in the joint announcement Tuesday.
Among other adoptees are the Business Software Alliance, whose members include Apple and Microsoft, and the Computer Systems Policy Project, which includes executives of Dell, Intel, IBM and others.
Significantly absent from the agreement are the Motion Picture Association of America -- a party with the RIAA in suits against Net services that encourage swapping of movies and music -- and the Consumer Electronics Association, which has fought studios and music labels over consumers' fair-use rights.
Their absence detracts from the importance of the agreement, says Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who has introduced a ''digital consumer's bill of rights'' in Congress. ''The agreement . . . does not in any way diminish the need for (the bill),'' he says.
Other proposed legislation would have allowed music companies to hack into networks suspected of pirate activities and required copy protection in all computer and electronic equipment. Virtually every proposal met with stiff opposition.
Both sides now agree new laws are not in their best interests. ''We don't believe legislation can solve these issues,'' Rosen says. ''These are business issues.''
The groups agreed on several principles for future negotiations and public policy discussions, including:
* Public awareness. Technology and record companies should educate consumers about the rights and wrongs of Internet use and digital copying.
* Technological protection measures. The industries will join in the development of measures to limit unauthorized copying and distribution.
* Actions by copyright holders. Both sides say they'll support reasonable enforcement measures as long as they're not destructive to networks, users' data or their legal rights.
Without consumer participation in these talks, ''I worry about the dampening of competition,'' the Consumer Federation of America's Mark Cooper says. ''The underlying problem is that the music industry doesn't have a business model to deal with the new technology.''
The music and computer industries have reached an agreement -- of sorts -- in their long-running battle over online piracy and consumers' digital rights.
Both sides agreed to work together to stem piracy and improve ways to legitimately deliver online music -- and to stop seeking legislation from Congress to aid their causes.
''We're looking for ways to talk about the marriage of the recording industry to the computer industry that's good for consumers,'' says Recording Industry Association of America chairman Hilary Rosen, who participated in the joint announcement Tuesday.
Among other adoptees are the Business Software Alliance, whose members include Apple and Microsoft, and the Computer Systems Policy Project, which includes executives of Dell, Intel, IBM and others.
Significantly absent from the agreement are the Motion Picture Association of America -- a party with the RIAA in suits against Net services that encourage swapping of movies and music -- and the Consumer Electronics Association, which has fought studios and music labels over consumers' fair-use rights.
Their absence detracts from the importance of the agreement, says Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who has introduced a ''digital consumer's bill of rights'' in Congress. ''The agreement . . . does not in any way diminish the need for (the bill),'' he says.
Other proposed legislation would have allowed music companies to hack into networks suspected of pirate activities and required copy protection in all computer and electronic equipment. Virtually every proposal met with stiff opposition.
Both sides now agree new laws are not in their best interests. ''We don't believe legislation can solve these issues,'' Rosen says. ''These are business issues.''
The groups agreed on several principles for future negotiations and public policy discussions, including:
* Public awareness. Technology and record companies should educate consumers about the rights and wrongs of Internet use and digital copying.
* Technological protection measures. The industries will join in the development of measures to limit unauthorized copying and distribution.
* Actions by copyright holders. Both sides say they'll support reasonable enforcement measures as long as they're not destructive to networks, users' data or their legal rights.
Without consumer participation in these talks, ''I worry about the dampening of competition,'' the Consumer Federation of America's Mark Cooper says. ''The underlying problem is that the music industry doesn't have a business model to deal with the new technology.''