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Alternatives To The INDUCE Act

The Importance of writes "The INDUCE Act, which has been discussed many times previously, will likely be getting a lot more attention thanks to the recent Grokster decision. The Register of Copyrights, who thinks the Betamax decision should be overturned, is supposed to come up with a consensus fix to the current language of the bill by Sept. 7. So, various people are proposing alternative solutions to the INDUCE Act. C|Net reports on one coalition's version [PDF] [HTML]. However, there are also versions by Prof. Tim Wu [PDF] [HTML], IEEE-USA [PDF] [HTML] and Ernie Miller [HTML]." Read more below about the proposed "Don't Induce" act.

Iphtashu Fitz writes "The 'Don't Induce Act' proposes that only someone who distributes a commercial computer program that is 'specifically designed' for wide-scale piracy on digital networks could be held liable for copyright violations. The proposal includes three requirements that must be met before a software distributor can be found liable: The 'predominant' use of the program must be the mass, indiscriminate infringing redistribution of copyrighted works; the 'commercial viability of the computer program' must depend on revenue derived from piracy; and the software distributor must have 'undertaken conscious, recurring, persistent and deliberate acts' to encourage copyright infringement. No surprise that the MPAA and RIAA are opposed to this 'watered down' bill. MPAA vice president Fritz Attaway showed his organizations true colors by stating that the Don't Induce Act was so narrowly drafted it would be impossible to use it to shutter even operators of peer-to-peer networks."

5 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The thing is... by grunt107 · · Score: 2, Informative

    The whole reason we're able to record and watch/listen to something later doesn't imply a right to be able to watch/listen more than once.
    Unless re-view is explicity limited by a broadcast, it does imply multiple viewings are allowed. Kinda like the 'rebroadcast of this NFL event is prohibited'

    When DRM becomes a reality, it'd be up to Congress to determine whether or not we have a right to multiple uses of recorded content, in my opinion
    If you are talking 'multiple uses' in the on PC/on CD/on Mp3/in car multiple usage that is one thing and Congress will probably keep it (via INDUCE) the way the **AAs want it (1 device). If you once again mean 1 time viewing, Congress will not mandate that either - the **AAs may try, but that (DIVx) model will fail (or be minimal) for almost every offering ('cept PPV, which is by definition meant to be 1 time).

  2. Misunderstanding of "unlicensed" by tepples · · Score: 3, Informative

    Hypothetically speaking, if I am a songwriter, I am perfectly within my rights as the owner of that song to tell you that you cannot distribute it. That is unlicenced content

    I come from a background where "unlicensed content" refers to content that hasn't been approved by the owner of copyright in the player software, such as independently published console games. Imagine if every title published on DVD Video had to be approved by the DVD Forum.

  3. Richard Posner has been blogging about IP by David+Jensen · · Score: 2, Informative

    Judge Richard Posner, a good writer, has been blogging about IP and fair use at Lessig Blog. The series of entries are very informative and give a good background to IP.

  4. Control of the Media Distribution Model by microbrewer · · Score: 2, Informative

    The INDUCE ACT and other legal efforts by the RIAA and other media organistions are lame efforts to control the current distribution model media companies have .IF you are an independant artist you will never have any chance of getting into Blockbuster, Best Buy, Wallmart ,Tower Records ect unless your record label is owned by one of the Major record companies as they have contracts that only allow thier artist to get into these stores .The EFF proposed a Voluntary Colletive Licencing model for payment of copyrighted material where you pay a flat fee to download copyrighted content from p2p networks but the problem is the RIAA rejected it becuse it screws up thier antiquated distribution channels. Thier Idea of inovative distribution is itunes or the new Napster . The problem they have is that an artist could release a independant recording without thier input and may even become a number one hit all without the input of the RIAA members .The record companies would have to become advertising agencys for the Artists and would actully become contractors or employees of the Artists. The current distribution model and bussiness models of media companies forces most Arists to be employees of the company and the company controlls the copyright .Collective Licencing would give the artists controll . Big Champane and other p2p monitoring companies sell data to the RIAAs members and others to see what is swapped and have a TOP 10 so it is well documented and auditied on what is being shared out there . http://www.eff.org/share/collective_lic_wp.php

  5. Re:I still don't get it. by Coffee · · Score: 2, Informative
    "We" being Canada? We certainly don't have a copy tax in the USA on all blank media.

    Yes, we do. Cassettes, CDs, whatever can be recorded onto. It's just not charged seperately from the price on the shelf (unlike, for example, sales tax, which is assessed at checkout).