Broadcasters and Webcasters Challenge New Streaming Copyright Rules
Labels: copyrights, digital rights, DRM, Internet, Media Trend Watching, net radio, Radio, regulations, royalties, streaming
The Associated Press filed a report tonight saying a wide array of broadcasters and online companies announced they were formally challenging this month's new ruling on copyright royalties which, if allowed, would cripple the emerging business of music broadcasts over the Internet.
"Suit up!"
It's a good sign broadcasters -- big and small -- are jointly stepping up with webcasters to defend their positions on streaming and not simply rolling over.
According to AP:Clear Channel Communications Inc., National Public Radio, and groups representing both large and small companies providing music broadcasts online were among those asking the Copyright Royalty Board to reconsider key parts of its March 2 ruling.
That ruling, the challenging parties say, would greatly increase the amount of royalties that online music broadcasters would have to pay to record labels and performers as well as put unreasonable demands on them to track how many songs were listened to by exactly how many individuals online.
The royalties in question only apply to digital transmissions of music, such as through Web sites, and are paid to the performers of songs and record labels. Webcasters also pay additional royalties to the composers and publishers of music, similar to those also paid by over-the-air broadcasters.
Digital performance rights were originally granted to record companies in 1995, in part with the intention of protecting them against the possibility that digital transmissions could erode the sales of CDs.
That agreement (the Digital Millenium Copyright Act) set today's Digital Rights Management guidelines.
The new rules, if implemented, threaten the viability of legally-streamed music radio stations over the web -- both repeaters from traditional broadcasters as well as pure new media netcasters. Click here to see how you can help "save music streaming".
Meanwhile, web streamer Kurt Hanson of AccuRadio weighs in on the issue here.
Let's see what happens...
posted by Unknown @ Monday, March 19, 2007,
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Viacom demands YouTube pull down videos
From the Really Bad Idea newsfeed, this just in from Reuters... Labels: DRM, Google, Jointblog, Viacom, Viral Video, YouTubeViacom has demanded that Google-owned online video service YouTube pull down all of its video clips after they failed to reach an agreement, the company said.
Of course, this decision also affects popular viral video clips from fake news phenoms The Daily Show and The Colbert Report...and many other Comedy Central shows.
About 100,000 video clips from Viacom-owned properties including MTV Networks and BET has been asked to be removed.
Viacom said its pirated programs on YouTube generate about 1.2 billion video streams, based on a study from an outside consultant.
What, Viacom wants users to submit to their greenscreen challenges...but also wants to clamp down on fan-driven shared postings of show highlights?
BoingBoing reports Viacom basically "terrorized" YouTube by searching and spamming back 100,000+ take-down notices for all Viacom/CBS/MTV Network content they auto-found.
Sure, makes sense when you are trying to protect your ratings and your DVD sales potentials...but how about advertising and marketing costs?
Or elusive, unmeasurable "buzz"?
Does Viacom really think Motherload or Innertube is ready to replace the reach and usage of YouTube now?
Or are they just pissed seeing the montage of CSI:Miami's David Caruso and his sunglasses ripping classic one-liners? ("Have we been sent to the crime scene...or sent to destroy it??") (And The Who says "Yeeahhhh!...we won't get fooled again...")
Wow...talk about smacking your most-active audience in the head.
Just imagine the blog protest PR nightmare this might create.
The real reason Viacom is making this decision? Another effort to regain content control...when the Pandora's Box opened up long ago.
Will this move hurt the viral video surge of the last 18 months?
As the kids say, WTF?
posted by Unknown @ Friday, February 02, 2007,
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