Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) went online Monday morning with the Washington Post and the public at large. The purpose was to field questions about the music piracy debate and the RIAA tactics to thwart it. The jist of the conversations is that Coleman believes that both pirates and the RIAA are wrong.
However, there are many other issues that are brought up, such as the role hardware and software protection schemes may play in the future. This is an important, apparently unscripted, open discussion that gives us valuable insight into the legal debate and how it may or may not affect us.
 Washingtonpost.com: Senator Coleman, many of our participants are asking questions about the state of copyright law in general. Do you think 1998's Digital Millennium Copyright Act struck the right balance between the rights of consumers and those of intellectual property owners? If not, what can Congress do to adjust that balance? Sen. Norm Coleman: I
think one of the problems with the 1998 DMCA is that it was created before
the advent of KaZaA, Napster and the P2P technology that is used today to
facilitate illegal downloading. This is what I mean when I say the law and
technology are not in sync. It is a great challenge for Congress to "adjust that
balance" because technology changes so much quicker than the legislative
process. Washington, D.C.: Gartner reports that a substantial number of P2P users utilize the same to "sample" music. How often have you bought a album, only to find a single song worth listening to. This accounts for the popularity of "listening posts" popular at music stores. Do you think industry is missing the opportunity to use P2P as a marketing tool? Sen. Norm Coleman: Yes. _______________________ Phoenix, Ariz.: I am
concerned that in an effort to protect copyrights, the FCC and congress
are poised to mandate anti-copying devices in consumer electronics that
will also prevent me from moving my own legally-purchased music and video
between my home, car, and portable devices, or recording TV programs for
time-shifting. (Such as transferring CDs to my iPod, or watching DVDs on
my laptop computer.) How do you view the apparent tradeoffs between
preventing unlawful digital duplication through technology with what are
today considered fair use by honest consumers? Sen. Norm Coleman: This
is a very complex issue. I share your concerns but on the other hand we
need to bring the hardware and software industries into this discussion.
They need to be part of the solution. I anticipate my next hearing will
address some of the technology
issues. |
This is just a small snippet of the total conversation to be found at the Washington Post. They even ask Sen.
Coleman who he used to roadie for back in his reckless youth and what would he do if his kids were busted for illegal downloading. All in all, an interesting read from a lawmaker that is in the midst of a hot debate.
Source: washingtonpost.com
