In another effort to combat the
"Induce Act" many Electronics manufacturers and Internet Service Providers have decided to make their own proposal, known as the "Don't Induce Act". This Act is a much narrowed down version of the Induce Act and aims to only target commercial software that is specifically designed for wide scale piracy. The software makers would also need to be making revenue based on the piracy as well as encouraging copyright infringing use of its software. With this Act, open-source P2P software
developers that do not rely on its software as a source of revenue would be
safe. MP3 player manufacturers would also be fine.
This new proposal has been sent to Capitol Hill on Tuesday and is designed to provide the Senate with an alternative less threatening act than the Induce Act. Backers include Verizon Communications, Consumer Electronics Association, SBC communications, American Library Association and many other groups.
Now the MPAA's vice president Fritz Attaway is complaining that this new act is too narrowly drafted, claiming that it would be of no use to them since they cannot go after the operators of P2P networks with this. A vice president from the RIAA offered some criticism also :p
|
That measure, called the Induce Act, has been widely panned by the technology industry. Now some groups, including SBC Communications, Verizon Communications and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), are fighting back with their own proposal that will be sent to Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon. Their proposal, dubbed the "Don't Induce Act," is designed to provide the Senate with an alternative that's less threatening to the industry. It is far narrower, saying that only someone who distributes a commercial computer program "specifically designed" for widescale piracy on digital networks could be held liable for copyright violations. Hardware like the iPod and other music players would not be targeted. In an interview, Michael Petricone, a CEA vice president, said Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch told the technology industry to "give us something that reflects your concerns." "We came back and tried to do what Hatch asked us to do," Petricone said. Hatch, a Utah Republican, is the primary Senate proponent of the original Induce Act, which also enjoys support from top Democrats. Read the full story |
Looks like the Entertainment industries are not having a good time of it lately. First it was the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ruling Grokster and StreamCast Networks not libable for copyright
infringement and now worrying about an act that may knock their proposal out.
Then again, it is about time the entertainment industry gets the feel of what it is like having an act being proposed that is not to their liking. They have done enough harm as it is with their DMCA law.
Source: CNET News - Music
