Rich Fiscus
1 Aug 2007 16:53
A tech industry trade group, including companies like Google and Microsoft asked federal regulators to force changes in copyright warnings.
The Computer and Communications Industry Assiation said in a statement Wednesday that copyright statements used by sports leagues and content distributors (like movie studios) go too far, and warn against uses that are actually legal. The organization filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commision arguing that companies using such language should be required to mount a marketing campaign to inform consumers of their actual rights.
Although many content owners are quick to complain about unauthorized copying, what they usually fail to mention is that unlawful doesn't automatically mean illegal.
CCIA spokesman Will Rodger said in the Wednesday statement that "the bottom line is that the copyright holder is not the final arbiter of how his work can be used. Copyrights are granted by the federal government and it's 'we the people' who decide where to draw that line between what's legal and what is not."
The FTC isn't expected to act on the complaint simply due to the complexity of copyright law. In most cases, the only way to measure the legality of a given use of copyrighted material is a judge's decision.
Of course, it's possible that action from the FTC isn't really the aim of the CCIA. Simply involving themselves in the fair use debate is a step toward debunking the claims from the entertainment industry, which often seem to be directed away from protecting their rights, and more towards inventing rights to protect their profits.
A cynic might counter that by suggesting these companies are primarily interested in the public relations spin from suggestions that won't possibly be implemented.
Source: The Associated Press