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Jan. 14th, 2003 09:38 amThe Associated Press reports: "The leading trade associations for the music and technology industries, which have been at loggerheads over consumers downloading songs on the Internet, have negotiated a compromise they contend will protect copyrights on movies and music without new government involvement."
The nature of the agreement seems to be that the RIAA will stop lobbying Congress to legislate against certain consumer behaviors, and the technology companies will start lobbying for stronger enforcement of piracy laws.
There might be two good things here. First, reduced lobbying from the RIAA makes it less likely that Congress will mandate copy-prevention technology. A government-mandated solution is likely to be clunkier and less adaptable than what the market would, god help us, come up with on its own. Second, the deal may mark a shift of emphasis from legislation to enforcement. Existing laws are more than sufficient to deal with the kinds of wholesale copyright violation that probably should be illegal. So anything that means fewer new legislated restrictions is probably for the better.
On the other hand, this is a deal between huge technology corporations and huge media corporations, not consumers. Any benefit to ordinary people is likely to be incidental.
The nature of the agreement seems to be that the RIAA will stop lobbying Congress to legislate against certain consumer behaviors, and the technology companies will start lobbying for stronger enforcement of piracy laws.
There might be two good things here. First, reduced lobbying from the RIAA makes it less likely that Congress will mandate copy-prevention technology. A government-mandated solution is likely to be clunkier and less adaptable than what the market would, god help us, come up with on its own. Second, the deal may mark a shift of emphasis from legislation to enforcement. Existing laws are more than sufficient to deal with the kinds of wholesale copyright violation that probably should be illegal. So anything that means fewer new legislated restrictions is probably for the better.
On the other hand, this is a deal between huge technology corporations and huge media corporations, not consumers. Any benefit to ordinary people is likely to be incidental.
