tinyurl.com/373ht -> reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=5404542
Close This Window Music Industry Seeks Digital Radio Copying Limits Fri Jun 11, 2004 04:46 PM ET By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Digital radio broadcasts that bring CD-quality sound to the airwaves could lead to unfettered song copying if protections are not put in place, a recording-industry trade group warned on Friday. Without copy protections, music fans could cherry-pick songs off the air and redistribute them over the Internet, further deepening the copyright woes of record labels, the Recording Industry Association of America said. US regulators at the Federal Communications Commission should ensure that the broadcast format limits such copying so radio stations don't turn the airwaves into a giant file-sharing network, RIAA officials said. "A little bit of prudence right now goes a long way," RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol said in a conference call. "We want to roll out this technology as quickly as possible and if this is going to delay that, that's something that's going to cause consumers and broadcasters a lot of concern," said Dennis Warton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. Digital radio promises to bring CD-quality sound to FM stations and FM-quality sound to the AM band, along with "metadata" like artist and song information. Broadcasters also can use the standard to broadcast several signals at once. Roughly 300 stations now broadcast digital signals or are in the process of setting them up, according to the FCC. RIAA officials said digital-radio players could soon allow listeners to record certain songs automatically when they are broadcast, allowing they to build a free library of music they otherwise might pay for and distribute it to millions of others over the Internet. Players already on the market in Europe, such as Pure Digital's "The Bug," allow users to pause and rewind broadcasts and record them digitally. Under restrictions proposed by the RIAA, listeners would be able to record digital broadcasts for later playback, but would not be able to divide that broadcast up into individual songs. Listeners would also not be able to program their players to record certain songs, or redistribute those recordings over the Internet. The RIAA plans to submit its proposal to the FCC next Wednesday. The head of the privately held company that controls the digital-broadcast standard said it would wait until a consensus emerges among radio stations, the recording industry and consumer-electronics makers before enacting any copy-control measures. "We're in the business of developing digital radio, we're not in the business of pushing copyright schemes on people who haven't agreed to those things," said iBiquity Digital Corp. Any copying, re-publication or re-distribution of Reuters content or of any content used on this site, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent of Reuters. Quotes and other data are provided for your personal information only, and are not intended for trading purposes. Reuters, the members of its Group and its data providers shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the quotes or other data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
|
http://csua.com/feed/