Slyck speaks to the executive director of newly formed lobby group P2P United, in one of their first interviews ever.
There has been a growing awareness in the file-sharing scene that necessitated a balanced debate amongst decision makers. In light of this, six of the biggest P2P groups (those behind eDonkey, Grokster, Morpheus, Blubster, Limewire and BearShare) earlier this year formed an organization called P2P United. Their official launch just took place and Slyck caught up with Adam Eisgrau, the executive director of P2P United, about the direction of the new organization.
Slyck.com – Ciarán: What promted you to get involved in this new organization?
P2P United – Adam: Between 1995 and 1999, I had the privilege of representing the American Library Association and a group called the Digital Future Coalition (of which ALA was a founding member) before Congress and WIPO, the UN organization that administers intellectual property treaties. That was the period during which the implications of digital technology for copyright and information economies was first being grappled with intensively by policy makers ultimately, in the US, resulting in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Our basic message was that, the success of the US’s copyright laws in encouraging innovation and creativity has always been due to striking an appropriate balance between strong copyright protection and preserving the public’s ability to use copyrighted material lawfully in many circumstances without the owners’ permission. In many ways, the battle for P2P that is now being fought is similar: once again, we have to find a way to assure that artists and other copyright owners are fairly rewarded, but without killing peer-to-peer technology development. I’m delighted to be back in the fight.
Slyck.com – Ciarán: Specifically, what role will P2P United have in the evolving P2P scene?
P2P United: Before P2P United came together in mid-July, the file-sharing industry – as an industry — had no identifiable name and face in Washington or in the media. That kind of presence is critical to working with Congress constructively toward assuring a legal environment in which P2P technology can survive and thrive. Making the case for P2P to policy makers, and calling attention to the excesses and failures of existing industries that would like P2P to simply go away, is what P2P United is dedicated to doing. Our elected officials in Washington DC have been hearing only one side of the P2P debate. The entertainment industry has tried to vilify file-sharing companies, their developers and their users. Our six founding members, Bearshare, eDonkey, Grokster, Limewire, Morpheus and Piolet/Blubster have joined forces to be sure that Congress and the media can hear both sides of the debate. Our members believe that no special interest group, and most specifically not the entertainment industry, should have the ability to stifle technological innovation through intimidation and bullying tactics.
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