For Immediate Release

Background: The Senate late in its weekend session passed by unanimous consent S 3021, a shorter version of the omnibus copyright legislation (HR 2391) that had been introduced earlier in the session.

Statement of Gigi B. Sohn, president of Public Knowledge:

Consumers won a major victory when the Senate passed legislation removing the most egregious elements of the omnibus copyright bill that had previously been under consideration. We strongly support the version of the Family Movie Act, included in the bill, which gives families more control over how they watch movies and television, preserving the right to skip over commercials. The bill will benefit consumers, both in their entertainment choices now, and from the innovation in technology that will result in coming years.

For immediate release

Washington, D.C. | Public Knowledge has long acknowledged the potential threat that large scale unauthorized file trading of music may pose, and has encouraged the recording industry to protect its copyrights by pursuing strategically targeted legal action against actual infringers. Public Knowledge also firmly believes that simply bringing lawsuits against large scale individual infringers will not solve the industry's problems. The recent announcement of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to pursue "what could ultimately be thousands of lawsuits" against peer-to-peer file (P2P) traders therefore strikes us as an over-investment in legal action, possibly to the detriment of consumers and musicians alike.

Washington, D.C. | Public Knowledge issued the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court's decision in Moseley v. V Secret Catalogue:

For Immediate Release

The Federal Communications Commission is due to issue a notice tomorrow (April 8) indicating its intention to consider conducting a rulemaking on copy-protection policies for Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). The policy, if adopted, would be the radio equivalent of the TV broadcast flag.

This afternoon, Public Knowledge and Consumers Union sent letters to FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell and the other Commissioners urging the Commission to drop the DARS issue from the notice of proposed rulemaking and to consider it, if at all, as a Notice of Inquiry.

"There is no reason for the FCC to create a broadcast flag for radio. The record companies have done nothing to establish that digital radio is a potential threat to record sales or a potential source of content for Internet file-sharers," said Mike Godwin, senior technology counsel for Public Knowledge. The text of the letter follows:

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. | Public Knowledge praises Governor Owens' decision to veto Colorado H.B. 1303 one of the "State-DMCA" bills promoted by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

While enforcing the Copyright Act and preventing copyright infringement are worthy goals, Representative Berman's Peer-to-Peer Self-Help bill goes too far. Rep. Berman's bill gives the content industry great latitude to engage in harmful behavior that could affect lawful consumer activities, as well as unlawful behavior.