US Congress Launches Sweeping Copyright Review
[…]“Most of the focus is going to be on the internet,” said Casey Rae, co-executive director of the Future of Music Coalition, of the Congressional review and possible legislative push. “A lot of this will have to do with the economics of digital distribution” of music and video, and the status of so-called orphan works (copyrighted material whose owners cannot be located or have passed away) he said in an interview. The non-profit coalition represents performing artists.
[…]Stakeholders in the copyright review will range from Hollywood and the music and online gaming industries to publishers, software companies, librarians and the internet community to broadcast and pay-TV services that share content under compulsory licences. Broadcasters also want to rein in new entrants such as Aereo that capture their signals and stream them online without compensation.
“I don’t envy the legislative branch,” said Rae of the music coalition, noting that the 1976 Copyright Act rewrite was the culmination of two decades of work. “It’s going to be very, very, very difficult to come up with a new set of laws that satisfy all of the stakeholders who are involved.”