[opendtv] News: Red-Flag Case Gets Green Light
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 07:36:46 -0400
Red-Flag Case Gets Green Light
By Bill McConnell -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/1/2004 5:31:00 PM
A Federal Appeals Court in Washington, D.C., won't delay the case
determining the fate of the Federal Communications Commission's
"broadcast flag," despite a request by the agency to slow down.
A coalition of consumer activist groups and library associations
have asked the court to strike down the FCC's mandate, which requires
digital TV's and recording devices to honor codes producers can
insert into programs to prevent retransmission over the Internet.
The FCC asked the court to delay the case until the agency finished
its own reconsideration of the rules. Broadcasters and Hollywood
fought for the rules to protect high-definition movies and other
digital content from unauthorized distribution. Opponents, however,
say the restriction violates consumers' home recording rights and
that the FCC has no jurisdiction to impose the rules.
Holding the case in abeyance would have been a defeat for the
consumer groups because the mandate kicks in July 1, 2005. That would
likely not have been enough time for the court to restart its case
after the FCC finishes its reconsideration, then come to a ruling
before the kick-in date.
Once the mandate is triggered, set makers won't want the expense of
retooling production lines to remove flag technology even if the
mandate was eliminated by judges, explained Public Knowledge
President Gigi Sohn. "Had the court decision gone the other way, the
broadcast flag would have become the television standard regardless
of the ultimate outcome of the case."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] News: Red-Flag Case Gets Green Light
