CEA steps up big time
The Consumer Electronics Association just issued a press release about Senator Feinstein's (D-Hollywood) PERFORM Act.
According to Michael Petricone, CEA's vice president of government affairs, "Satellite radio is one of the great American technology success stories of the 21st century. Sirius and XM provide 11 million Americans with exciting entertainment options, while opening new revenue and promotional opportunities for the record labels. The PERFORM Act will have a severe and harmful impact on these startup companies and their subscribers.
"The bill would suddenly change the rules to increase payments to the record industry, even though XM and Sirius already pay tens of millions in performance royalties to record labels, performers, songwriters and music publishers. Plus, the record labels get additional royalties for every receiver sold under the Audio Home Recording Act. This is in marked contrast to over the air radio broadcasters who make no payments to the record labels."
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The PERFORM Act also requires government technology mandates to limit the recording capability of new XM and Sirius receivers. "Americans have been making noncommercial recordings off the radio for decades," Petricone pointed out. "This bill would turn back the clock on home recording. Indeed, if this bill applied to video content, your TiVO would be outlawed."
It's about time that the CEA stepped up the the plate and started to fight back.
2 Comments:
RE: FireHatch
As much as Hatch is wrong and Ashdown right on geek issues, I think we need to be wary in the area of single-issue politics. A careful reading of Ashdown's site leads to his wacky position on abortion rights: states should decide for themselves in "female only" elections. This is not only absurd, it's patently unconstitutional-you can't have elections restricted by gender. Ashdown has a similar position on guns, and a very vague position on health care. He's basically a "states rights" kinda guy with a good heart, and a soft spot for business, what used to be called a "country club Republican." I'd like to see a real Democrat running, but that's just me, and I don't live in Utah. Ashdown calls himself a Democrat, but only because he thinks Dems are "kinder to the poor." Yes, Hatch has to go, but remember that a member of Congress will vote on many issues, not just tech.
What's the current status on the PERFORM Act? Maybe a new blog entry on this(either "we did it" or "here' what we've got to do")...
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