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Article: DTV On The Back Burner At CES?
This article contains a recent interview with Michael Powell, the new FCC Chairman. The interviewer was Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.
Here are some quotes from the interview regarding copy protection.
Quote:
This article contains a recent interview with Michael Powell, the new FCC Chairman. The interviewer was Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.
Here are some quotes from the interview regarding copy protection.
Quote:
Shapiro: [...] What do you see as the Commission's role in preserving consumer's fair use rights? Powell: I think the short answer is it's extremely limited if existent at all. Copyright law is a difficult balancing judgement. It's almost a legal conclusion and it's one that has never been a serious or substantial component of the FCC's jurisdiction or role. And I don't know that I think that it's going to become dramatically more a part of what it does either. [...] Shapiro: So do you think that if industry agreed that consumers shouldn't be allowed to tape broadcast television that that is OK with the FCC? Powell: No. But you would be in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia facing consumer suits over their rights being violated, just as was the case in prior precedent. Shapiro: But if the FCC is actually accepting the DFAST license and other licenses which restrict the ability of consumers to use consumer electronics products, imposed by the cable industry and others, isn't the FCC essentially accepting that limitation? Powell: I don't want to hypothesize whether some specific technology would be so prohibitive against consumer use that it would, per se, violate the copyright law, that there would be no question as to that case whether we would roll or yield to that. But that usually isn't what's presented. What's presented usually is a balance between some restriction and some use. And whether that is or isn't a copyright violation is a very difficult legal judgement and that traditionally is not one for the FCC to make. |