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.
Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over Google Book Search - Google and groups representing authors and publishers announced a major settlement yesterday in the class action lawsuit over Google's creation of a search engine for books. The settlement, which still requires court approval, should pave the way for Google to offer expanded ability to find and review books in the home, library, and university contexts. Authors and publishers should benefit from new revenue opportunities. The settlement offers a good example of how copyright and technology interests can work together to create new business models and exciting capabilities for users, though it also means that legal questions about the fair use status of indexing and search will not get resolved in this case. October 29, 2008
Share this articleCampaigns Should Expose Improper Demands to Take Down Videos - Once the election has passed, the presidential campaigns should publicly expose specific incidents in which overaggressive copyright claims have stifled political expression during this campaign cycle, CDT said in a letter to both campaigns today. The McCain-Palin campaign recently complained that campaign videos containing less than ten seconds of broadcast footage have been removed from YouTube at the demand of media companies who own the footage. Such "takedown" requests are improper because the use of brief clips of footage in political commentary is generally legal under the "fair use" provision of copyright law. October 21, 2008
Share this articlePresident Signs I.P. Enforcement Legislation - President Bush yesterday signed into law the PRO IP Act, an intellectual property enforcement bill that calls for expanding certain legal remedies, providing enforcement resources, and creating a new I.P. Enforcement Coordinator in the White House. CDT supports vigorous enforcement of existing intellectual property laws and appreciates improvements that were made to the bill during the legislative process. CDT still has concerns, however, about how certain provisions in the bill could operate in practice. October 14, 2008
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