The Audio Flag: your rights at Risk

[17R3W]

First off I'd like to say that I'm Canadian, and therefor the American laws don't affect me directly. HOWEVER, I do think these laws will set the tone for CND/UK laws.
So, even if you're not from the states, you should still take a look at this.

The RIAA in their suite against Napster made the following claim....

Originally Posted by RIAA

An individual making a copy of a TV program (which she was invited to watch for free) so that she can watch it later cannot be equated with an individual re-distributing a copy of a CD to millions of anonymous strangers who were not invited by the copyright owner to get it for free.

http://www.riaa.com/News/filings/napster_faq.asp

That is too say, that Napster is not like a VCR, because you were not invited to hear the music. However, if your invited to watch/listen to something, a time limit can not be subjected too it, you can view/re-view that media again in a different format; with a VCR, tape recorder on your radio, etc (and the etc is the important part).

However, new laws are atempting to stop this "fair use".

Originally Posted by Engadget

It may be a while since we've heard anything new from Congress about the Broadcast Flag's radio counterpart, the Audio Flag, but rest assured, your elected representatives haven't stopped thinking about it. And the latest incarnation of the law,the Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006, H.R. 4861, is a bill you might want to actually give a perusal. Turns out that, when it comes to digital radio, the bill basically takes away any "fair use" rights you might have assumed you had, and lets the record industry decide what you can and can't do with your radio. Want to record a radio show so you can listen to it later? Sorry, not unless the record industry says you can.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/03/a...ome-recording/

But the best part is, the voice of reason in this whole thing is Ted Stevens (R) Alaska.
YES, the guy who wants to build a $223,000,000 bridge to nowhere.
(and yes that 223 MILLION dollars, that's not a typo)

Originally Posted by Engadget

At hearings earlier this week on the Broadcast Flag and the RIAA's Audio Flag initiative, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) commented that his daughter had just bought him an iPod, and asked the RIAA's Mitch Bainwol whether the Audio Flag would stop him from recording audio from the radio onto it. Bainwol, in turn, warned that, without an Audio Flag to block recordings, HD Radio would turn into a major source of piracy. Stevens, a Broadcast Flag supporter, asked whether the RIAA was trying to restrict what he listens to or records "on my own iPod", adding, "we have a disagreement here, I think."

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/27/b...n-on-ipod-use/

Originally Posted by Engadget

but IPac (the Intellectual Property Action Committee) believes that by getting people together to buy iPods for "Senators who work on legislation affecting technology" they'll be doing us all a favor, presumably by giving these old fuddy duddy luddites a chance to see how restrictive and ridiculous Big Content really is in the real world. Ok, sure we find it touching that each senator receives their shiny new iPod with "listen to the people" engraved on the back and a letter of explanation and a list of people who bought it for them

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/01/b...nator-an-ipod/


Thanks,
DISCUSS