A critical debate is underway in the courts, the Congress and federal regulatory agencies -- and decisions are being made within the content, electronics, and computer industries - about how to protect copyrighted material in new digital media. CDT seeks to offer a reasonable voice reflecting the interests of consumers and users, who deserve a role in these decisions so critically shaping their future access to music, videos, books and other content.
CDT is committed to the principle that copyrighted material should be protected from largescale unauthorized copying. Denying compensation to creators and distributors undermines First Amendment values in promoting expression, threatens the growth of new media and e-commerce, and does not support the consumer interest in a robust marketplace of content offerings. At the same time, resolving these issues should not come at the expense of reasonable consumer expectations regarding the use of copyrighted works or digital technologies, consistent with traditional copyright principles. Nor should it come at the expense of new and innovative communications networks, like the Internet, that hold out tremendous promise to promote expression, economic growth, and civic discourse.
CDT Posts Music Download "Warning List" - CDT has created a list to alert consumers about music download Web sites that charge fees and claim a large selection, but do not appear to have obtained licenses to ensure that users' downloads from the site are legal. Consumers looking to download music lawfully for the new computers and MP3 players they receive this holiday season may want to check CDT's list before paying money to unfamiliar but legitimate-looking music services. CDT hopes that warning consumers about these sites can help avoid confusion and promote the continued growth of the lawful online music market. December 26, 2007
Share this articleControversial Broadcast Treaty Stalls - The long-running but controversial World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) effort to craft a treaty granting new rights to broadcasters and cablecasters appears to have stalled. A recent series of diplomatic meetings in Geneva reportedly failed to make progress in bridging fundamental disagreements over approach and scope, causing negotiators to shelve plans to move forward with a formal diplomatic conference later this year. CDT believes this is a welcome development, as the idea of creating a complex new layer of intellectual-property-like rights is entirely unnecessary and poses unwarranted hurdles to the robust flow of information on the Internet. June 25, 2007
Share this articleCDT, Others Urge Court To Reject Bias Against Remote Services - CDT and a number of industry associations and public interest groups filed a brief today in the appeal of a lower court ruling finding that Cablevision's "networked digital video recorder" would violate copyright. The brief urges the appeals court to reject the lower court's rationale and warns that the decision, if allowed to stand, could chill innovation in a wide range of products that make use of the Internet to provide storage and computing functions from remote locations. June 11, 2007
Share this article
Slashdot
del.icio.us
Digg
Technorati
Google
Yahoo!
Windows Live
reddit