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EFF: Rejects Broadcast Flag, Urges FCC to Stop Hollywood from Dominating Technology
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 2002 08:56:48 -0500
Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release For Immediate Release: Monday, December 9, 2002 Contact: Cory Doctorow Outreach Coordinator Electronic Frontier Foundation cory () eff org +1 415 436-9333 x106 (office), +1 415 726-5209 (cell) Seth Schoen Staff Technologist Electronic Frontier Foundation schoen () eff org +1 415 436-9333 x107 Fred von Lohmann Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Electronic Frontier Foundation fred () eff org +1 415 436-9333 x123 (office), +1 415 215-6087 (cell) Electronic Frontier Foundation Rejects Broadcast Flag Urges FCC to Stop Hollywood from Dominating Technology San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on Friday rejected Hollywood's "Broadcast Flag" proposal, advising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set aside Hollywood's latest bid to undermine fair use and stymie innovation. EFF filed comments with the FCC opposing the Broadcast Flag proposal because the proposal would give Hollywood unwarranted control over the development of digital television (DTV) and related technologies to the detriment of creators and consumers of the technologies. "A broadcast flag mandate is an ineffective solution to a non-existent problem," explained EFF in its comments on the proposed rulemaking submitted to the FCC. "At the same time, any broadcast flag mandate will impose genuine and substantial costs on consumers and innovators. It would raise the cost of DTV devices while reducing the value that they represent to consumers. It would stifle innovation in DTV and general-purpose technologies. It would abridge the First Amendment freedoms of software authors. All of this, in the end, will impede, rather than encourage, the transition to DTV." The Broadcast Flag--a signal to be added to all DTV broadcasts--is a critical weapon in Hollywood's arsenal aimed at strangling innovation and fair use. In the "Content Protection Status Report," the entertainment industry sets out a roadmap for giving entertainment companies control over the design of general-purpose computers, over analog-to-digital converters, and over the Internet itself. The FCC initiated the Broadcast Flag proceedings last summer after receiving a letter from Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, author of the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA). The CBDTPA is a sweeping proposal that would require technologists to seek permission from entertainment companies prior to making new technologies available to the public. Industry observers have described the Broadcast Flag as a "mini-CBDTPA." EFF has led the effort to educate the public about the Broadcast Flag, attending every meeting of the Motion Picture Association of America's Broadcast Protection Discussion Group and popularizing relevant issues on the "Consensus at Lawyerpoint" weblog. For this release: http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/20021209_eff_bpdg_pr.html EFF comments to FCC on Broadcast Flag proposal: http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/20021206_fcc_comments.html Consensus at Lawyerpoint weblog: http://bpdg.blogs.eff.org/ GNU Radio: http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuradio/gnuradio.html EFF "Intellectual Property - Video - HDTV/BPDG/Digital Television/Digital Cable" archive: http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/ About EFF: The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to support free expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported organization and maintains one of the most linked-to websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/ -end- ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To unsubscribe or update your address, click http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- EFF: Rejects Broadcast Flag, Urges FCC to Stop Hollywood from Dominating Technology Dave Farber (Dec 09)