The U.S. Registrar of Copyrights told lawmakers Tues. it’s too early to declare victory in the war on copyright infringement after the Supreme Court’s Grokster ruling. The music industry simply can’t rely on the high court decision and strong copyright laws in the 21st century marketplace, Marybeth Peters said. Digital music firms need to be able to offer consumers what they want via one- stop shopping, a goal blocked by an outdated music licensing system, she told the Senate subcommittee charged with intellectual property (IP) on Tues. Peters reprised reform suggestions to Chmn. Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Leahy (D-Vt.) she premiered at last month’s House IP subcommittee hearing. Peters and a growing contingent of allies want to amend Sec. 115 of the Copyright Act to erase compulsory licenses in favor of collective administration techniques (WID June 22 p1).
U.S. policy experts tracking discussion of Internet governance continue to worry that those at the negotiating table will lose focus on pressing issues because of political squabbling over the Web’s future. Those interested await issuance of a UN Internet study next Mon. and back-to-back ITU and ICANN meetings in coming days. Hours after the report is released, a separate workshop on national experiences in Internet governance will be staged in Geneva.
Technology companies and the content industry inevitably will cooperate more following the MGM v. Grokster decision, a wide political spectrum of panelists said Wed. at a D.C. Bar Assn. discussion. Discussion was markedly more civil than at previous panels, such as a Consumer Electronics Assn. event pitting the MPAA and RIAA chiefs against technology lobbyists (WID March 17 p2), but agreement on who really won -- short or long term -- was elusive.
On its second day of hearings, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) heard from online activists, campaign lawyers and a union official on good, bad and “random” provisions in proposed rules for Internet communications. Witnesses mostly supported a light touch for online activity, saying the law hasn’t caught up with technology, while campaign reformers warned that the activists are in a much better position than they think.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) members peppered activists and reformers with questions about proposed FEC rules for Internet communications on the first of 2 days of hearings Tues. Everyone agreed individual speech should be protected, but differed on how to do that without bringing down the edifice of campaign finance laws.
“Digital goods” sales would incur the N.J. sales tax under a bill approved by the state Senate Budget Committee on a party-line vote Mon. S-2628 would extend the tax to downloaded movies, music and software, plus “information access purchases or subscriptions” to websites such as online journals, among several other extensions. The tax would mean a 99 cents iTunes Music Store download would cost $1.05. Out-of-state businesses wouldn’t have to collect the tax unless “related through common ownership” to businesses operating physically in N.J. Neither Sen. Majority Leader and sponsor Bernard Kenny (D) nor Sen. Budget Committee Chmn. Wayne Bryant (D) could be reached for comment. Bryant told Today’s Sunbeam the bill would level competition between brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers. Acting Gov. Richard Codey (D) said he wants to extend the sales tax to other products and services in his March budget, but didn’t specify which.
Hill action on telco video franchising and IP services will emerge soon, key members of the House and Senate told a Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF) forum Tues. Sen. Ensign (R-Nev.) said he plans to introduce a bill in July to address Telecom Act revisions regarding franchising and VoIP. Rep. Pickering (R-Miss.) predicted reform legislation could clear the House in the fall, positioning the Senate to act in the Spring.
The FCC order on the proposed $6 billion Alltel- Western Wireless merger could circulate among the commissioners in the next 2 weeks, an FCC source said Thurs. The order “is still at the [Wireless] Bureau and I am hoping we are going to get it to the Commissioners in June,” the source said. The FCC started its self-imposed 180-day clock for deciding the merger March 1.
A federal court ruled N.Y.C. officials acted lawfully in rejecting a Global Network Communications application to install its payphones on city streets. The U.S. Dist. Court, N.Y.C., said the city was within its bounds when it rejected Global’s application on grounds that it raised major questions about whether Global would pay the compensation it would owe to the city. The city said Global’s owner, Ronald Massie, has an extensive criminal record, including allegations of ties to organized crime, and the company has a record of not paying compensation owed to property owners who let Global install payphones in their establishments. “Inherently, the city’s right to require compensation from telecommunications providers includes the reasonable expectation that its compensation will be paid accurately in full, on time, and without criminal involvement or fraud,” the court said. Nothing in state or federal law, the court said, forces a city to grant a payphone franchise when there is compelling evidence in the record that it could have serious problems collecting its compensation from the provider.
The individual arguably responsible for the blogger backlash against proposed Federal Election Commission (FEC) Internet communication rules Wed. announced his impending exit. Comr. Bradley Smith said he'll leave the FEC Aug. 21, 5 months after warning campaign activists and bloggers they might soon risk FEC wrath simply for linking to a political candidate’s website. A week later, Chmn. Scott Thomas labeled Smith’s warnings “quite a pile” at the Online Politics Conference (WID March 14 p1).