International Issues
in cra-briefings39 · November 15, 2006
A Book Search Service in Competition with Google?
HarperCollins has recently announced that, in cooperation with Libre Digital, it will launch a service called Libre Digital Warehouse that will allow its customers to search through its books on line. Though the initial service will include a minimal number of titles, Harper Collins is projecting that it will eventually include an archive of 10,000 titles, comprised of current publications as well as its backlist. This new service allows the publisher to determine what portion of a text is made viewable, and is otherwise controlled by it. Though HarperCollins is the first to set up this service, currently allowing customers to browse inside books, there is some expectation that this mode of exploiting the ‘net will be adopted by other publishers. For more information see Publishers Weekly. For more, see: www.publishersweekly.com.
Sweden’s Pirate Party Supports Anonymous Internet
Sweden’s Pirate Party has announced that it is supporting a “darknet”. A darknet is an anonymous Internet that allows individuals to share material without fear that their privacy will be compromised or their identities become known. This sharing can include the sharing of copyright protected material. The darknet was created by a company called Relakks which operates a portal that renders all data anonymous. The Pirate Party has declared its support for the system in the interest of the privacy of all Swedes, arguing that this placing of a high value on privacy is a key concern for Swedish citizens. For more information on this darknet and the Pirate Party’s support see www.slyck.com or www.bbc.co.uk.
Internet Sensors in Iran Remain Aggressive
Business Week online has reported aggressive Internet censoring in Iran. According to this report Iranian authorities are censoring the Internet for sexual content, discussion of international politics and chat rooms generally. Iranian citizens have been barred from accessing certain websites including the BBC’s Persian service. Those savvy about the Internet have used P2P networks to share information and avoid the reach of government censors. However, a number of bloggers have recently been detained by the government. Bloggers and other journalists can be charge under anti-subversion laws and face up to five years in prison. To date most of those who have been charged have been given conditional sentences. For more information on this situation see the report in Business Week Online. See: www.businessweek.com.
European Countries Grapple with Digital Rights Management
France’s controversial Digital Rights Management legislation has become law. It is now mandatory for those who use DRM technology to share that technology with their competitors, where the competitors make a request for it, and the company/group that created the technology is compensated. This legislation is much watered down version of the original bill put before the French parliament. The debate surrounding DRM remains politically hot in France. The main opposition party in the French parliament, the Parti Socialiste, has promised to revisit the laws if elected in 2007. However, it has not stated what the changes would be. For more information on the situation in France see www.zdnet.fr.
The debate surrounding DRM is not isolated to France, but has also been consumers’ rights agencies and others in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Many such groups from all countries have written Apple Inc. to express concern about the DRM technology employed by Apple. There will likely be a meeting between these groups and Apple in the near future to explore the implications of DRM on consumer rights. More information on this situation can be found in Internet Law News. See: www.bna.com/ilaw.
Consumers Soon have Access to more Downloads
The DVD Copy Control Agency has announced that it will make adaptations to the group’s encryption technology and create a DVD that will allow users to copy downloaded movies from their computers to DVDs. This would enable consumers to watch movies on their television sets. This move is a response to the concern that the legal downloading services for movies being offered have not been catching on with consumers because of this limitation. Which may indicate a shift in the strategy on the part of the motion picture industry towards one which would make legal use so easy that the incentive for illegal means disappears. For more information on this development see www.dvdcca.org.
New Contracts in the United States for Actors
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) together with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are negotiating with the advertising industry for a new contract for AFTRA and SAG artists. This contract would apply when commercials are converted for use on the Internet. AFTRA has stated that it is seeking a new compensation system that would provide a new royalty each time an advertisement is streamed over the Internet. However, due to the distribution systems that dominate the Internet it has been difficult to devise. (Under the current proposal AFTRA and SAG members would see a 6% increase in pay and a 0.5% increase in union pension and health contributions while advertisers would be given greater flexibility in the way they can deal with their advertising.) For more information on this proposal see www.aftra.org.
Google and the Associated Press reach an Agreement for the Use of Content on the Internet.
Google and the Associate Press have reached an agreement that will allow Google to use the Associated Press’s photographs and headlines. The financial terms of the deal, which has reportedly been in the works for several months, were not disclosed. Following the announcement of the settlement, Google’s representative Sonya Borlav was quoted saying, “Google has always believed content providers and publishers should be fairly compensated for their work so they can continue producing high quality information. …We are always working on new ways to help users find the information they are looking for, and our business agreement with the Associated Press is one example of that”. For more information on this agreement see www.news.com.com.