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MPAA, RIAA Seek Permanent Antitrust Exemption

Posted by timothy on from the watch-people-blame-the-free-market dept.

Devistater writes "Webcasters sued RIAA two months ago in an antitrust case for anti-competitive behavior. The response? An exemption from antitrust laws. Today's Register tells about RIAA/MPAA's efforts to get just such an exemption written into law. They could become permanently exempt from such a suit, if the bill passes. They snuck it into a bill sponsored by Orrin Hatch called EnFORCE Act (Enhancing Federal Obscenity Reporting and Copyright Enforcement Act of 2003). Orrin Hatch says this bill contains "First... an antitrust exemption in the Copyright Act [for] record companies and music publishers" Why? Because of 'market realities.' Which ones? The 12-year-old girl? The 15-year-old girl? Or the 66-year-old Grandma with a Mac?"

5 of 759 comments (clear)

  1. Republicans, republicans, republicans by BoomerSooner · · Score: 0, Troll

    You get what you vote for (unless it was Gore).

    When corporations come before constituents this is what you get. I don't care which party it is, they are all corrupt. Republicans just never cared about the people.

  2. Grrrr... by squarooticus · · Score: 1, Troll

    Orrin Hatch is the type of a**hole who gives all Republicans a bad name.

    But there's also a lack of parallelism here: Republicans constantly get shit for the actions of these buffoons, but is the senior blimp from Massachusetts, the infamous Teddy Kennedy, ever called on the evil things he stands for?

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    [ home ]
    1. Re:Grrrr... by operagost · · Score: 0, Troll

      ... calling black and hispanic judicial candidates "neanderthals"? Opposing the Medicare prescription drug benefit, because it was a bipartisan plan instead of Democratic?

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      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  3. Mr. Hatch is just a cheap whore... by Yaa+101 · · Score: 1, Troll

    For selling the rights of the American Public to the RIAA and MPAA for the little sum of 18.000 dollars...

  4. Re:I love America... by dada21 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Fortunately, you prove yourself wrong in forgetting that the only one with ultimate power is the government, not big business.

    America was to be different from communists such as yourself because we were to have a federal government with very strict enumerated powers -- so that they could not trample on the rights of individuals by helping their friends.

    What we have today is more socialist than it is capitalist. But I can understand how those with smaller brains would rather blame it on big business rather than on a Congress that has bordered treason for not upholding their oath to the Constitution that should keep them from passing laws that are clearly not within their powers.