New Senate Broadcast Flag Bill Would Freeze Fair Use

[BoyOfDestiny]

New Senate Broadcast Flag Bill Would Freeze Fair Use

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004340.php

I'm sure this will fail, but a disturbing read anyway...


I'll be at www.archive.org to get some nice music/movies for free... legally. :)

[Stormy Eyes]

*shrug* This only matters if you're willing to watch TV. And, frankly, if you're willing to tolerate government regulation and government censorship (both of which encumbers TV), while being interrupted every five minutes by blocks of inane adverts, then you deserve the broadcast flag.

[BWF89]

I read the article but didn't understand what they were trying to say. Why would this new broadcast flag limit future technologies?

[mstlyevil]

I read the article but didn't understand what they were trying to say. Why would this new broadcast flag limit future technologies?

It would make video recording devices that are made to be frozen at the current technological quality and standard eliminating HD content from being recorded at HD resolution. It would merely freeze what is available today and stop new technologies from being produced and sold to the consumer. This bill will not make it past the drafting stage. There are too many Senators that support new industry and technology on both sides of the isle that would oppose it because it would stiffle innovation. Senators try to introduce crazy bills all the time and most never make it out of comittee. Also the Senate would have to get support of the house for this thing to pass and that is likely not to happen.

Now everyone lets turn on the radio and listen to Don't Worry Be Happy. ;)

[hod139]

Decent coverage of the broadcast flag can be found here: http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/broadcast-flag.ars


I'm sure this will fail
I hope you are right, but I'm not so sure. The big content creators are going to throw the "piracy" word around a lot and attempt to convince the senate that without this flag no legitimate distribution business model exists. IMHO, this is a lie, the big content creators really just want control and money.

[bloodborne]

Big businesses need to learn to embrace new technologies and actually use their brains to come up with new ways to reach and engage the consumer. The traditional producer-consumer relationship is becoming less important now and the actual content and what can be done with it is. This flag is an act of despiration to keep power in the hands of those from whom it is slipping. But there is no doubt in my mind that this will fail; still, it wouldn't hurt to write to your representatives and senators.

[drizek]

The big content creators are going to throw the "piracy" word around a lot and attempt to convince the senate that without this flag no legitimate distribution business model exists.

After all this abramoff stuff thats been going on, i think the last thing senators want right now is to look like they wre bought out by a mega corporation.

[hod139]

I'm sure this will fail, but a disturbing read anyway...

Seems to be gaining momentum (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060303-6310.html), not failing!!

The Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006 (http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/fergus_bill.pdf) bill would require all manufacturers of electronics to get approval from the FCC for any device that would enable the recording of digital radio. That approval would essentially be contingent on whether or not the device obeys DRM limitations on its capabilities. Those limitations take a page from the latest attack on fair use: the notion of "customary historic use (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060121-6025.html)." The idea is simple: lock down what was one permitted as a thing of the past, and make it clear that past "fair uses" of content have no bearing on future use. In short, they seek to short circuit the way law works in the United States, and to simply trash historical precedent.

[Brunellus]

After all this abramoff stuff thats been going on, i think the last thing senators want right now is to look like they wre bought out by a mega corporation.
Why the hell not? So few people vote for them anyway.

Oh, the voters will turf them out? Good luck. Voter participation is down, will likely decline further for the mid-term election. And redistricting has made more safe seats than ever; you can count on really only a handful of races in any given general election to be really contested.

[Master Shake]

I bet my corrupt IL senators would vote for it...

[bonzodog]

<<< thanks god he doesn't live in the states!!!