A barrage of
legislation, like the audio broadcast flag, the Perform Act and
the analog hole bill, would require [manufacturers] to design
their products to add cost and reduce features and operability.
Gary Shapiro, President, Consumer Electronics Association
"This is an example of the copyright laws going awry. The movie
industry suffers no economic harm. The defendant, CleanFlicks,
purchased a DVD for every movie that it edited and sold to
parents.
"The CleanFlicks decision is further proof that copyright law is
tilted too strongly toward copyright owners and away from
consumers. In my lifetime, copyright terms have been extended 11
times, and the penalties for violations have increased
dramatically. A barrage of legislation, like the audio broadcast
flag, the Perform Act and the analog hole bill, would require
innovators to design their products to add cost and reduce
features and operability, regardless of how the product is used.
"Finally, massive, costly and frequent lawsuits against
legitimate companies like CleanFlicks and XM Satellite Radio
chills innovation and hurts our economy."
"Congress must say no to the content industry's voracious demand
for yet more rights at the expense of ordinary Americans,"
concluded Shapiro. "It is time that Congress stopped considering
any copyright legislation which does not recognize and protect
the legitimate needs of consumers."
