[opendtv] French Senate caves on digital copyright bill
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 16:09:06 -0400
The French government originally wanted to make any on-line source of
music or video compatible with any playback device.
Bert
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French Senate caves on digital copyright bill
Junko Yoshida
(05/11/2006 4:25 PM EDT)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=3D187202317
PARIS - The French Senate bowed to intense lobbying pressure, approving
a watered down digital copyright bill that differs significantly from
the controversial version passed at the National Assembly last March.
The new bill is likely to give Apple Computers enough leeway to keep its
proprieatry digital rights management (DRM) system used in iTunes and
iPod. But consumer advocates and developers of open source software here
have called the Senate action late Wednesday (May 10) "irresponsible"
for "having thrown away most of the work done by the National Assembly."
The bill's most controversial element, requiring "interoperability,"
survived the Senate debate. But the new bill no longer demands that
companies like Apple give details of their DRM system to those who wish
to develop interoperable systems-as stipulated initially in legislation
passed by the National Assembly.
Instead, the Senate reached a compromise by adding another bureaucratic
layer: creation of a new regulatory authority that would mediate
requests for interoperability.
The French government will give the agency the power to order companies
to share details of their DRM system, but companies will be able to
refuse to do so as long as their DRM systems are approved by the author
or copyright holder.
A critic of the bill complained, "Now, instead of forcing a publisher
[of music or movies] to accept free competition with its DRM, the bill
says that you must talk to the commission first. Then, the commission
will politely ask the questions to the publisher...."
Critics of the Senate version called it "dangerous" because it can force
a software publisher to integrate DRM into software "that can be used to
distribute copyrighted works." The open source community consider
peer-to-peer file sharing essential to their work. They said the mandate
to include DRM in software can be "very harmful."
The version approved by the Senate will now go to a conference committee
to iron out differences between the two versions.
All material on this site Copyright 2006 CMP Media LLC. All rights
reserved.
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