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CCIA

Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) includes a diverse set of tech companies that includes Microsoft (Generally seen as a copyright maximalist) as well as the Linux Foundation and RedHat (generally seen as copyright supporters of copyright balance).

CCIA: Fair Use Economy Represents One-Sixth of U.S. GDP

The latest press release from CCIA references a study on the positive economic impact of Fair Use and other exceptions to copyright.

According to the study commissioned by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and conducted in accordance with a World Intellectual Property Organization methodology, companies benefiting from limitations on copyright-holders’ exclusive rights, such as “fair use” – generate substantial revenue, employ millions of workers, and, in 2006, represented one-sixth of total U.S. GDP.

A Hollywood Reporter article by Brooks Boliek discusses the issue further.

As always, the Copyright Alliance that represents the legacy content industry associations missed the point. Without restrictions on the exclusive rights of past creativity and innovation, there can be no new creativity or innovation. Most forms of "Fair Use" and the less useful "Fair Dealings" (Canada) are there to protect the necessary right of new creators to create by building on the past.

Separating fact from fiction on digital copyrights

Maura Corbett, a spokeswoman for the Digital Freedom Campaign and a partner at PR firm Qorvis Communications, writes in CNET about the complaint the Computer and Communications Industry Association filed with the US FTC about false statements made in "copyright" notices.

We should not permit rights holders to use copyright law to create new powers for themselves. Even as we urge consumers to respect the law--and we should--large copyright owners have the same obligation.

Scaring their customers is not educating them. Misleading and threatening them, at the end of the day, hurts everyone, including the copyright holders themselves.



Update: I've received an email from Patrick Ross, Executive Director of The Copyright Alliance with what he felt were corrections. I've made minor updates.

US Supreme Court to examine 'obviousness' of patents

(Also in p2pnet)
An article by Anne Broache, Staff Writer, CNET News.com discusses the problem of junk patent that should not have passed the "unobvious" test for patentability.

RIAA Says Future DRM Might “Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Potentially Endanger Lives”

This Freedom to Tinker article by Ed Felten includes:

The CCIA and Open Source and Industry Association made an even simpler request for an exemption for DRM systems that “employ access control measures which threaten critical infrastructure and potentially endanger lives.” Who could oppose that?

The BSA, RIAA, MPAA, and friends — that’s who.

There is a growing awareness that DRM systems which presume the owner of communications devices are "the attacker" are incompatible with network and computer security which is designed to ensure that the owner (and not a third party) are in control.

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