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Music industry pushes for digital copyright law reform
Think the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is broken, leading to all kinds of abuse? So does the American music industry... just not for the same reasons. The RIAA and other groups have responded to a US Copyright Office request for comment on the DMCA by calling for broad reforms of the "harmful" and "obsolete" law. They argue that the takedown notice approach doesn't work well given the sheer glut of pirated material -- all it takes is a slightly different web address to make that bootleg song available once again. They also claim that safe harbor provisions are too kind, letting some sites profit from piracy that they know is taking place.
The US government thinks Aereo is and isn't a cable company
By now you're likely aware that the US Supreme Court decided Aereo's service was a violation of copyright law, labeling it a cable system. The outfit then sought to carry on the same statutory license cable companies pay broadcasters royalties to stream content from local stations in District Court. That maneuver has ground to a halt though as the US Copyright Office clamped down on the attempt, concluding that "internet transmissions fall outside the scope" of the license. In its letter to Aereo, the office's general council did say that despite accepting the application on a "provisional basis," it would need to review the case further and factor in "regulatory or judicial developments" (like an FCC ruling) before offering a final word. Of course, the ultimate decision could lead to an outright rejection of the filing after the inquiry process runs its course.
