 RIAA's grabs top spot as mag's most tech-unfriendly group ·Dec 19, 09:58 AM From PC World online: “Their names keep coming up over and over again in courtrooms and corridors of power across the country—those groups whose interests always seem to run counter to those of technology companies and consumers… “The tech issues that they’re concerned with are what you might expect: digital rights management and fair use, patent law, broadband speed and reach, wireless spectrum “1. The RIAA and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Issue: Copyright and Fair Use “The Internet economy should be a boon for digital media companies and for those of us that like to buy our music and video online… Unfortunately, the content owners in the record and movie industries have mainly seen the Web as a platform for piracy, and have mainly failed to adapt their businesses to the realities of online, as one lonely industry executive recently admitted… “The RIAA and MPAA have exercised considerable political and economic influence to push a legal and policy environment in which the content owners keep tight control of the way their content is distributed and used. “I think it’s fair to say that their approach is that any innovation that they haven’t signed off on is bad,” says Fred von Lohmann, senior intellectual property attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation… “The suits are a real threat to the next generation of bi-directional, participatory Web services that are the promise of Web 2.0. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s von Lohmann believes this year’s suits against imeem and others are just “the tip of the Web 2.0 litigation iceberg.” “Von Lohmann also thinks the suits may hurt legitimate companies while leaving the real content pirates untouched. ‘I think it’s fair to say that copyright threats from entertainment industries are exerting a serious chilling effect on several companies that are trying to do the right thing, while having little impact on offshore companies that are more adventurous,’ von Lohmann says. ‘In other words, the innovation that should be fueling our economy is now fueling someone else’s,’… “The RIAA and MPAA have worked very hard in Washington to apply the aggressive posture they use in the courts to the policy-making arena. Their attorneys and lobbyists are constantly meeting with members of Congress and presenting their side of issues of concern (mainly copyright-related) in front of regulatory bodies like the Federal Communications (FCC). And, most would agree, they’ve been fairly effective at getting their way… “Both organizations have their own staffs of lobbyists in Washington, but both also contract with numerous outside lobbying firms. In 2006 alone, the RIAA reported lobbying expenses of $1.5 million, while the MPAA reported $1.8 million. The RIAA retained the services of 13 outside lobbying firms in 2006 to help make its case to lawmakers… “The content owners also donate to candidates for federal office as a way of furthering their long-term agendas.” Read the entire list at PC World online. share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
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and network neutrality…. We’ll start with the biggest offenders first and work our way down.
