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Senate Bill Would Alter Rates, Restrict Recording of Web, Satellite Radio

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2007 - 9:27am.

Washington - A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would alter royalty rates and add copy-protection requirements to the satellite and Internet radio industries.

tags: Policy | Radio | Satellite Radio | RIAA | Fair Use | Senate | Webcasters |

Lawmakers Revive Net Neutrality Bill in U.S. Senate

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 10, 2007 - 10:29am.

Washington - A proposal to prevent big network operators from charging higher fees for faster access to their broadband lines -- commonly referred to as "Net neutrality" -- was resurrected in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

tags: Legislation | Net Neutrality | Senate | Washington | Politics | Snowe | Dorgan |

Washington Post: Five Senate Offices Fingered in Wikipedia Edits

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 9, 2006 - 3:09am.
Washington - An investigation into partisan edits made to Wikipedia online encyclopedia entries for members of Congress has found that edits could be traced directly to Internet addresses within at least five Senators' offices, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The edits, which included deletions of past controversies and politically motivated insults, prompted Wikipedia to temporarily block access from some Capitol Hill addresses. The investigation by Wikinews traced edits back to addresses within offices for Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). "There were several factual things that were wrong," Tom Steward, a spokesman for Coleman, told The Post, while Biden spokesman Norm Kurz told The Post that changes that were "made to Biden's site by this office were designed to make it more fair and accurate."
tags: Wikipedia | Finger | Office | Senate | Post | Washington |

CEA's Shapiro Warns Against "Broadcast Flag" in Senate Hearing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 24, 2006 - 10:03am.
Washington - The president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) testified on Tuesday before the Senate Commerce Committee that "broadcast flag" technology proposed by Hollywood -- that would prohibit unauthorized copies of digital media -- could diminish innovation and undermine Americans' traditional "fair use" rights. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has asked that Congress implement an "audio flag" that would mandate devices be made so they cannot record digital broadcasts from satellite and HD Radio services. "Ordinary consumers are not pirates, and recording lawfully acquired content for private personal use is not piracy," CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro testified. Both the CEA, which represents thousands of device makers, and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) are opposed to the proposed legislation. Also "adamantly opposed" to the idea of a federal broadcast flag is Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), CNET News.com reported; however, Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said it was "a subject that requires an act of Congress, in my opinion."
tags: CEA | Senate | Broadcast Flag | Shapiro |

Senate Committee Calls for Adult Website Ratings

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 20, 2006 - 2:52am.
Washington - The Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday called on the online adult entertainment industry to come up with a ratings system and clearly label its content as intended only for adults, CNET News.com reported. "Too few adult Web sites are taking the extra step to create another obstacle, another barrier, that can keep youngsters from accessing or stumbling on pornography," said Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.). CNET reported that a Web browser standard called Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) currently exists that allows parents to restrict access to websites rated as explicit, and many adult sites like Penthouse.com have so labeled themselves. The hearing came in the same week the Bush administration asked Google and other search engines to turn over data it intends to use in defense of the Child Online Protection Act, a law that would restrict explicit material on commercial websites.
tags: Adult | Website | Senate |

Florida Senate Takes State Video Game Sales Ban a Step Closer to Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 13, 2006 - 3:23am.
Tallahassee, Fla. - The state of Florida moved a step closer this week to passing a statewide ban on the sale of "ultra violent" video games to minors, with the passage of a bill in the Florida Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Services. "Left to their own devices, children often do not realize the harm they are causing themselves through the exposure to graphic sexual and violent content found in many of today's video games," said Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla, sponsor of the legislation. Lawmakers' efforts to crack down on the sale of violent games to minors have been consistently struck down as unconstitutional restrictions on First Amendment free speech rights by the courts, which have overturned similar laws in the states of Washington, California, Illinois and Michigan, as well as in St. Louis County and the city of Indianapolis, Ind. Along with Florida, lawmakers in states including Delaware, Indiana and Maryland are working to enact game sales bans. Efforts to pass a federal ban are being spearheaded by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), who recently introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act.
tags: Games | Law | Video Game | Senate | Florida |

Senate Votes to Set April 7, 2009 Digital TV Transition Date

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2005 - 3:17am.
Washington - The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to set April 7, 2009 as the date for the country's transition to digital TV broadcasting, when networks will cease transmitting their analog signals and yield their spectrum back to the government. The Senate bill includes a $3 billion subsidy, for those who can't afford costly new digital TV sets to purchase a converter set-top box that will enable their analog TV sets to receive the new digital signals. The Senate rejected a proposed amendment to the bill that would have cut the subsidy to $1 billion, and another to speed up the transition by a year so that spectrum could be freed sooner for emergency communications services. The Senate bill will now have to be reconciled with the version pending in the House, which sets the transition date on Dec. 31, 2008 and provides under $1 billion for the converter subsidy. In related news, the FCC voted on Thursday to move up by four months the date by which all TV sets smaller than 24" must include digital tuners, to March 1, 2007; larger TVs are required to carry a digital tuner by March 1, 2006.
tags: Senate | Transition | Digital TV |

Senate Shelves Legislation to Further Restrict Internet Gambling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 16, 2005 - 10:38am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate has shelved proposed legislation that would have placed further restrictions on Internet gambling, Reuters reported. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) had attempted to attach language that would block banks and credit card providers from letting customers open accounts on Internet gambling sites to an annual Senate spending bill, but an unnamed Democrat objected and the language was removed. "We will proceed with this; it will become law at some point at some time," Kyl said on the Senate floor. "There should be no reason why we can't move forward on this." Similar restrictions have previously passed in both houses of Congress, but the House and Senate have thus far been unable to agree on identical bills.
tags: Legislation | Senate | Restrict | Internet Gambling |

Senate Shelves Digital TV Transition Legislation

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 15, 2005 - 11:18am.
Washington -- Legislation aimed at setting a hard deadline for the U.S. transition to digital television broadcasting -- seen as a means of freeing up spectrum space for emergency communications services -- has been shelved until at least late October, a Senate Commerce Committee spokesperson told CNET News.com. The Senate Budget Committee has postponed action on legislation related to the digital TV transition and other issues in light of Hurricane Katrina. Several lawmakers have previously pressed for a mandatory deadline of Jan. 1, 2009 for all broadcasters to abandon their analog signals and switch to digital, but have met opposition from technology and consumer groups who say the sets are too expensive for many, in addition to existing legislation that says 85% of consumers in a given market must own such sets before broadcasters may shut off their analog signals.
tags: Legislation | Senate | Digital TV Transition | Shelves |

Senate Pushes File-Sharing Firms to Stem Piracy, Filter Pornography

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2005 - 7:09am.
Washington -- Senators at a Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday urged peer-to-peer software companies to act to stem piracy and children's access to pornography, or else Congress may enact new legislation against them. Commerce Committee chairman Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) both indicated that peer-to-peer firms must act to filter content, even in the wake of a Supreme Court decision (MGM v. Grokster) that makes peer-to-peer firms liable for copyright infringement committed by end users. "If you don't move to protect copyright, if you don't move to protect our children, it's not going to sit well," Sen. Boxer said, at the hearing. "We're going to get specific about this, pornography over the Internet. People tell me we can't do anything about it. I don't believe that," said Commerce Committee chairman Stevens. Representing file-sharing companies at the hearing was Adam Eisgrau of P2P United, who warned of "very serious social, scientific, educational and all kinds of ramifications" if Congress restricts peer-to-peer technology. Eisgrau also argued in favor of voluntary collective licensing of copyrighted works for peer-to-peer networks, and for a lowering of the current $150,000-per-instance sum that copyright holders can claim as damages for infringement.
tags: File-Sharing | Senate | Pushes | Stem Piracy | Filter Pornography |

Illinois State Senate Approves Ban on Violent Game Sales to Minors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 20, 2005 - 7:14am.
Springfield, Ill. -- The Illinois state Senate this week approved a bill that would restrict the sale of violent video games in the state to minors. The Safe Games Illinois Act, proposed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, would put the onus on retailers to determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for minors, and then fine them should they sell such titles to anyone under 18. As the Senate's version of the bill deleted a section in the Illinois state House's version that called for jail time for offenders, the bill must now return to the House for debate. "Video games are not art or media," Illinois state Sen. Deanna Demuzio told AP. "They are simulations, not all that different from the simulations used by the U.S. military in preparation for war." Similar laws banning the sale of violent games to minors have been consistently struck down by a number of courts as being unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds.
tags: Games | Minors | Senate | Ban | Violent Game | Illinois |

Senate Passes Stripped-Down Copyright Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 22, 2004 - 4:43am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate on Saturday approved a copyright bill that had been stripped of highly contentious provisions that would have provided jail time for file-swappers, but maintained others that will criminalize theater camcording and pre-release distribution of works on file-sharing networks. In an earlier form, the bill would have for first time enabled the Justice Dept. to seek civil damages against file-swappers, as well as five-year prison terms for those offering 1,000 or more unauthorized songs for download. While these provisions were scrapped after protest from the Consumer Electronics Association, Verizon, the American Conservative Union and advocacy group Public Knowledge, the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act as passed will provide three-year jail terms for those who bring camcorders into movie theaters to pirate films, and potential jail time for anyone posting movies, music or other copyrighted works online prior to their commercial release. It will also provide protection for technologies that edit copyrighted movies into family-friendly versions. Although already approved there, the bill will once again be sent to the House in December in order to account for minor changes made to the legislation.
tags: Copyright | Bill | Senate | Stripped-Down |

Senate Postpones Vote on Controversial File-Sharing Ban

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 30, 2004 - 8:19am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate has postponed a vote on a controversial copyright bill scheduled for Thursday, the "Induce Act," which would effectively ban peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and most any technology that could be used to "induce" users to commit copyright infringement. In recent weeks, the Senate has heard opposition to the proposed legislation voiced by groups including The American Conservative Union, National Taxpayers Union, Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
tags: Law | Senate | Controversial | File-Sharing Ban |

Senate Debates Controversial Anti-Piracy "Induce Act"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 22, 2004 - 4:52am.
Washington -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday heard debate on a controversial bill -- the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act or "Induce Act" -- that has the potential to shut down peer-to-peer networks and outlaw other technologies that simply "induce" people to infringe copyrights. Testifying at the hearing were representatives from the RIAA, Business Software Alliance and the U.S. Copyright Office, which announced its support for the legislation on Thursday. While copyright holders in the music, film, software and other industries say the law is badly needed to quell piracy, critics say the bill is worded vaguely and could be applied to potentially copyright infringement-inducing devices like Apple's iPod, or the PC itself. A group of technology firms including CNET Networks, eBay, Google, Intel, MCI, TiVo, Verizon, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo sent a letter to Senators, saying the Induce Act "would chill innovation and drive investment in technology [overseas]."
tags: Anti-Piracy | Senate | Induce Act |

Senate Approves Bill Enabling Federal Civil Lawsuits Against File-Swappers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 28, 2004 - 7:25am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate on Friday approved the "Pirate Act," which would expand the authority of the Attorney General and Justice Department to pursue civil lawsuits against copyright infringers. Previously, the Justice Dept. has only been able to prosecute criminal copyright cases, while the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has launched its own campaign of civil suits against music file-swappers, with a total of 3,429 sued thus far. "These acts will provide federal prosecutors with the flexibility and discretion to bring copyright infringement cases that best correspond to the nature of the crime and will assure that valuable works that are pirated before their public release date are protected," said RIAA chairman Mitch Bainwol. The bill will now be sent to the House for approval. "This turns the Department of Justice into a civil law firm for the industry's benefit," Adam Eisgrau, executive director of file-sharing trade group P2P United, told CNET News.com.
tags: Bill | Senate | File-Swappers | Federal Civil Lawsuits |

Senate Passes Movie Theater Camcorder Piracy Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 25, 2004 - 7:37am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Friday to make it a crime, punishable by up to three years in prison, to bring a camcorder into a movie theater for the purpose of pirating a film. The Cornyn-Feinstein ART Act will also ratchet up penalties for anyone who distributes promotional or pre-release movies or music on the Internet before their release dates, and enable copyright holders to sue for damages. In addition, the bill provides the Justice Department with an added $5 million per year through 2009 to support enforcement efforts. "The digital age is making rampant theft easier and more damaging, and the overlap between online file swapping and the production of counterfeit movies and CDs has become so blurred as to become indistinguishable," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who sponsored the bill. "We are now one step closer to making thefts far more difficult, prosecution of criminals much easier, and the protection of consumers and artists much stronger."
tags: Senate | Passes | Movie Theater Camcorder Piracy Bill |

Senate Judiciary Passes Intellectual Property Bills

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 30, 2004 - 3:07am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a number of intellectual property-related bills, which will now be voted on by the entire Senate. Among them is a bill that would make it a crime to bring a camcorder into a movie theater for the purpose of pirating a movie; a similar bill passed in California saw its first arrests earlier this month and charges filed on Thursday. Another bill would expand the authority of the U.S. Justice Dept. in copyright infringement prosecutions, enabling it to file civil lawsuits against suspected pirates instead of solely criminal charges.
tags: Law | Senate | Intellectual Property Bills |

Senate Bill Would Give Prison Time to Online Movie Pirates

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2003 - 7:45am.
Washington -- A Senate bill expected to be introduced on Thursday would provide a prison term of up to three years for any user of a file-sharing system found to possess any movie before it has been released in theaters, CNET News.com reported. Sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act would also implement a $250,000 fine for anyone who placed such a film on a public computer network, regardless of whether or not any actual copyright infringement had taken place. The legislation would also create another new felony, for bringing a camcorder into a movie theater and recording a movie, with a penalty of up to five years in prison. "This legislation will go a long way toward targeting one of the most serious contributors to piracy right now, which is the practice of camcording motion pictures [in theaters]," MPAA spokesman Rich Taylor told News.com. A similar bill outlawing pirate theater recordings has also been introduced in the House.
tags: Internet | Senate | Prison | Movie Pirates |

Senate Antitrust Committee to Review Merger of Sony Music, BMG

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 11, 2003 - 7:56am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate Antitrust Subcommittee has announced that it plans to review the recently announced merger proposal between Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group, which would reduce the number of major record labels in the world from five to four. The hearing was announced by committee chair Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and ranking Democrat Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.). "The deal between Sony and Bertelsmann to combine their music businesses represents even further consolidation in an industry in which only five major firms compete," the senators said in a statement. "While we recognize that the music industry currently faces numerous problems, greater consolidation may not be the answer to those problems." Time Warner is also reportedly in talks to sell its record label business to fellow major EMI, which would further consolidate the shrinking global music business.
tags: BMG | Antitrust | Senate | Sony Music |

Senate Passes Resolution to Overturn New FCC Media Ownership Rules

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 17, 2003 - 6:41am.
Washington -- The U.S. Senate has voted to overturn a set of new rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which would relax media ownership rules and allow large media companies to control larger percentages of the media outlets in U.S. markets. Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), who sponsored the resolution to overturn the new FCC rules, called them "a massive cave-in to corporate interests at the expense of the public interest." The vote in the Senate failed to garner the two-thirds vote needed to override a potential veto from the White House; the resolution will now move to the House for debate.
tags: Senate | Overturn | FCC Media | Ownership Rules |
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