[IP] House panel OKs digital licensing bill
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From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 9, 2006 12:07:45 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] House panel OKs digital licensing bill
Reply-To: dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[Note: This item comes from reader Monty Solomon. DLH]
From: Monty Solomon <monty@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 8, 2006 9:00:17 PM PDT
Subject: House panel OKs digital licensing bill
House panel OKs digital licensing bill
By Anne Broache
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: June 8, 2006, 6:10 PM PDT
A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Thursday approved a digital
copyright bill that critics say could imperil home-use copying of
music and video recording devices like TiVo.
The Section 115 Reform Act, or SIRA, introduced by Texas Republican
Lamar Smith, attempts to overhaul a piece of copyright law that
established a complex system of "mechanical royalties" for record
companies, recording artists, songwriters and publishers in exchange
for the right to reproduce and distribute their music.
There's a general consensus among politicians, the U.S. Copyright
Office and the music industry that the law, first written in the era
of piano music rolls, is in need of updates for a digital era. Right
now, companies wishing to sell music have to negotiate separate
licenses for each song's recording.
SIRA proposes establishing a "blanket licensing" system in which
those entities would apply for and receive licenses through a
one-stop shop. Established by the Copyright Office, that body would
act as a representative for music publishing companies with the
greatest share of the market.
Supporters of the bill argue that such an approach would make it
easier for online music services to secure speedier approval for vast
libraries of music, opening up the possibility for new market
entrants, greater selection and lower prices.
.....
<http://news.com.com/2100-1028-6081874.html>
Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>
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