Copyright Office cable should lose special access to local channels: related news

Copyright Office: cable should lose special access to local channels

Cable and satellite broadcasters have long relied on a special set of three narrow statutory licenses that Congress gave them years ago to help prop up the pay-TV industry in its infancy. The licenses (found in sections 111, 119, and 122 of the Copyright Act) allow the pay-TV providers to grab certain over-the-air signals from local broadcasters or from far-off "superstations" like WGN in Chicago and transmit them over their own networks without asking permission. They have to pay, but the amount is fixed by Congress and is likely below market rates. A new report from the Copyright Office (PDF) suggests that this system should come to an end, and that it should not be extended to Internet broadcasters.

Copyright Office Releases Online Registration of Claims

Beginning July 1, 2008, the Copyright Office is offering online registration of claims to copyright. Online registration through the electronic Copyright Office (eCO) is the preferred way to register basic claims for literary works; visual arts works; performing arts works, including motion pictures; sound recordings; and single serials. Advantages of online filing include a lower filing fee; the fastest processing time; online status tracking of your claim; secure payment by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright Office deposit account; and the ability to upload certain categories of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files. To register your claim electronically, go to the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov and click on the eCO logo.

Copyright Office May Have Just Added New Royalties For Webcasts

Well, this is just downright disturbing. Jon Healy has a quick summary of a totally unexpected and unnecessary proposed rulemaking from the Copyright Office that could add additional royalties that webcasters would need to pay (on top of the already onerous webcasting rates). Basically, the Copyright Office had been asked to decide on a totally different question concerning royalties back in 2000. That issue isn't even in question any more, as the two sides had already worked out their differences, and the Copyright Office didn't do much to give an official answer on that question anyway.

ACCESS Announces NetFront Browser Widgets on ACCESS Linux Platform, Support for Mobile...

ACCESS Announces NetFront Browser Widgets on ACCESS Linux Platform, Support for Mobile Internet Devices - LinuxWorld Demos to Showcase End-to-End Convergence Solutions SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- LINUXWORLD CONFERENCE & EXPO -- ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced it is extending the functionality of ACCESS Linux Platform with the addition of NetFront(TM) Browser Widgets for mobile handsets and consumer electronics, and support for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). With these new capabilities, businesses can quickly implement a wide range of widget services and deploy products in a new category of Internet-savvy mobile devices, based on ACCESS Linux Platform.

Copyright Office Gives Webcasters the Shaft

Deep in the bowels of a 250-page Copyright "Office report on a weird, esoteric law, Ars Technica uncovered a tasty little nugget about how Verizon and AT&T might be eligible for some sweet local TV licensing deals for their respective FiOs and U-Verse digital television services. Webcasters, meanwhile, should not be eligible for the same treatment, according to the Copyright Office.

Is open source hurt by piracy?

Sounds like what you are saying is for example, that the competition in the office suite space is Open Office Vs MS Office Vs pirated MS Office. Those willing to pirate see both Open Office and pirated MS office as "free" alternatives. If we stop piracy, then there is no longer a free MS Office alternative leading them to select Open Office instead.

Time Warner Cable Box Rental Inspired Antitrust Lawsuit

EmagGeek writes "Matthey Meeds, a real-estate agent, was so irritated about having to pay the monthly rental fee that on Tuesday he filed an antitrust suit against Time Warner Cable and its 84 percent owner, Time Warner Inc. The suit alleges that, by linking the provision of premium cable services to rental of the cable box, the companies have established illegal tying arrangements. 'Time Warner's improper tying and bundling harms competition,' Meeds' lawsuit states. 'Since the class can only rent the cable box directly from Time Warner, manufacturers of cable boxes are foreclosed from renting and/or selling cable boxes directly to members of the class at a lower cost.' I pay Comcast over $25/mo for my two DVRs. I'd love to just be able to buy them or build my own.

Copyright Office Makes Nonsubstantive Amendments to Regulations

The Copyright Office is making nonsubstantive housekeeping amendments to its regulations to update them and to correct minor errors. This final rule corrects minor errors identified in the published rules and also makes technical amendments required because of new office designations and other nonsubstantial changes resulting from the business process reengineering initiative that was implemented by the Office in July 2007. (Read further information)

How About Five Year Renewable Copyrights With A Use-It-Or-Lose-It Clause?

Over the years, we've seen numerous ideas and recommendations for ways to fix copyright, and a popular one is getting rid of the automatic creation of copyright on new works, requiring individuals to actually register that work -- often combined with a shorter time limit on copyrights that would have a renewal option. Larry Lessig has long supported such a system. The thinking is that this still lets those big companies who want to hoard their copyrights forever do so, but opens up plenty of other orphaned content that is locked down just because Disney doesn't want to lose the copyright on Mickey Mouse. Benjamin Krueger points us to Andrew Dubber's recent proposal of switching to a five-year renewable copyright plan, that also includes a use-it-or-lose it clause.

Copyright Office Urges Reforms to Retrans Compensation

Suggesting cable and satellite operators may be underpaying to retransmit distant stations, the U.S. Copyright Office is urging Congress to stop setting the compensation procedures and let stations and cable operators freely negotiate retransmission pricing.

ACCESS, NTT DOCOMO Conclude Technical Specification Development Agreement for ACCESS Linux Platform

TOKYO, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced the Company concluded a System Engineering Assistance agreement with NTT DOCOMO, INC. on July 16, 2008. According to the terms of the agreement, ACCESS will create the technical specifications for co-developing an operator pack for ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) for DOCOMO's FOMA(TM) 3G handsets. FOMA (Freedom Of Mobile multimedia Access) is the brand name for NTT DOCOMO's 3G services, and was the world's first W-CDMA 3G service, launched in 2001. The two companies are targeting the conclusion of an agreement detailing software development work for the FOMA operator pack during August.

ACCESS, NTT DOCOMO Conclude Technical Specification Development Agreement for ACCESS Linux Platform

TOKYO, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced the Company concluded a System Engineering Assistance agreement with NTT DOCOMO, INC. on July 16, 2008. According to the terms of the agreement, ACCESS will create the technical specifications for co-developing an operator pack for ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) for DOCOMO's FOMA(TM) 3G handsets. FOMA (Freedom Of Mobile multimedia Access) is the brand name for NTT DOCOMO's 3G services, and was the world's first W-CDMA 3G service, launched in 2001. The two companies are targeting the conclusion of an agreement detailing software development work for the FOMA operator pack during August.

ACCESS, NTT DOCOMO Conclude Technical Specification Development Agreement for ACCESS Linux Platform

TOKYO, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced the Company concluded a System Engineering Assistance agreement with NTT DOCOMO, INC. on July 16, 2008. According to the terms of the agreement, ACCESS will create the technical specifications for co-developing an operator pack for ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) for DOCOMO's FOMA(TM) 3G handsets. FOMA (Freedom Of Mobile multimedia Access) is the brand name for NTT DOCOMO's 3G services, and was the world's first W-CDMA 3G service, launched in 2001. The two companies are targeting the conclusion of an agreement detailing software development work for the FOMA operator pack during August.

ACCESS, NTT DOCOMO Conclude Technical Specification Development Agreement for ACCESS Linux Platform

TOKYO, Aug 08, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced the Company concluded a System Engineering Assistance agreement with NTT DOCOMO, INC. on July 16, 2008. According to the terms of the agreement, ACCESS will create the technical specifications for co-developing an operator pack for ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) for DOCOMO's FOMA(TM) 3G handsets. FOMA (Freedom Of Mobile multimedia Access) is the brand name for NTT DOCOMO's 3G services, and was the world's first W-CDMA 3G service, launched in 2001. The two companies are targeting the conclusion of an agreement detailing software development work for the FOMA operator pack during August.

Open Office vs. MS Office - the Other Key to Windows/Linux Transition

As I have been going around alternately prodding my friends and family to try Linux, or asking them if they thought it would be possible, one thing I have heard repeatedly is that a lot of people use Microsoft Office and are concerned about their Office documents on Linux. I should also mention that a lot of them are very angry that Microsoft has changed the default document format in Office 2007 (again), such that it is incompatible with previous Office versions. Yes, of course, I know there are converters and such, but it's just one more thing for users to have to worry about - and in general they aren't confronted with it, or sometimes even aware of it, until they send a critical document to a colleague and discover that the colleague can't open it.

UK IP Office seeks harsher copyright infringement penalties

In late 2006, the UK government received an evaluation of the country's legal landscape, as it pertained to copyright and intellectual property. That analysis, termed the Gower Report, after the head of the committee that produced it, included specific recommendations for modernizing the nation's copyright laws and their enforcement. Now, the UK Intellectual Property Office is soliciting public comment on changes that will implement one of the recommendations of the report, which suggested rationalizing the recommended sentences for those convicted of copyright infringement.

U.S. Copyright Office Offers Beta Online Registration on Copyright Claims

Online registration through the electronic Copyright Office (eCO) is a way to register basic claims for literary works; visual arts works; performing arts works, including motion pictures; sound recordings; and single serials.

How Copyright Is Holding Back The Creative Class

While not enough people recognize it, the real purpose of copyright law is to provide an incentive for the creation of more content. The government felt that there was a market failure, where not enough "content" would be produced without a limited monopoly, and thus, copyright was born. However, that happened back in the day when creating content wasn't easy. You pretty much had to go through a professional process. These days, thanks to new technologies, creating content is exceptionally easy -- and thus, a big part of the very basis for copyright no longer makes sense. We're drowning in content -- and it's not because of the "incentive" of copyright. There are plenty of incentives for creating content these days and very few have anything to do with copyright.

Don't Blame One Wal-Mart Employee For Dumb Copyright Comments

A bunch of folks have submitted this BoingBoing story about a Wal-Mart employee making some dumb (and incorrect) comments concerning copyright to a guy who was trying to scan some century-old photos of his family. Wal-Mart and some other convenience stores have had policies in place for years that they won't reprint or scan images that might still be under copyright. Yes, it's a silly policy, but the convenience stores feel they need to do this to avoid ridiculous lawsuits from copyright holders, which we all know are far too common these days. The problem here is copyright law, not necessarily the Wal-Mart policy, no matter how ridiculous the end results are. In fact, Wal-Mart has supported important changes to copyright law, such as an orphan works bill, that would enable it to avoid such liabilities.

Copyright Office discovers web forms, online submissions

Given the fact that copyright has become an unlikely new rallying point for the digital culture wars, you might think that the Copyright Office itself would be the sort of place that's been accepting online submissions for years. You'd be wrong, though.

Copyright Office Adds Online Registration

WASHINGTON, DC (Hypebot) – The U.S. government can seldom be called an early adopter and the Copyright Office kept that tradition alive with their slow paper based copyright process. That all finally changes today with eCO and online registration. The new system offers:

Copyright Office: Internet Firms Don't Need New Regulations

With companies that distribute video on the Internet thriving in a largely unregulated sector, the U.S. Copyright Office says Congress shouldn't consider new regulations that would impact the distribution of content from local broadcast TV stations on the Web.

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