FC: Rep. Rick Boucher wants Congress to regulate copy-protected CDs

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Previous Politech messages:

"More on Rep. Boucher's nastygram and copy-protected CDs"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-03004.html

"Rep. Boucher sends nastygram to music firms re: copy-protected CDs"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02997.html

---

And, more recently:

http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,50810,00.html
  WASHINGTON -- The U.S. music industry will continue to experiment with
  controversial copy-protected CDs, according to the Recording Industry
  Association of America.

---

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,50886,00.html

   House Rep's Rap: Unshackle the CD
   By Declan McCullagh (declan () wired com)

   2:00 a.m. March 7, 2002 PST
   WASHINGTON -- Music CDs equipped with copy protection will, if Rick
   Boucher gets his wish, soon be as obsolete as eight-track cassettes.
   
   The feisty Democratic congressman from Virginia says he plans to
   introduce legislation banning, or at least regulating, compact discs
   outfitted with anti-copying technology.
   
   Few discs sold in America currently feature the controversial scheme
   -- but the recording industry expects that as worries over digital
   piracy grow, the technique will become widespread.
   
   "Suffice to say, there probably will be a legislative response to
   ensure that consumer rights will be protected," Boucher said in an
   interview.
   
   Boucher's complaints are twofold: Americans may not know they're
   buying crippled discs, and that the new discs don't work on all
   players. "The big problem initially is that consumers have no
   information that is complete and reliable about the disabilities which
   attend copy-protected CDs," Boucher said. "These CDs will not play in
   DVD players, not play on personal computers (and) not even play on all
   CD players."

   [...]



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