CES: A Different Perspective

Man, we wish we could be at CES reporting directly from the front, but, alas, we were struck ill over the weekend and had to cancel.

Reading the fire hose of blog content helps, though.  (If you want to see a running tally of blogs check out PodTech's compilation.)

Even if you look long and far, what you probably won't find is a perspective on copyright issues like PFF's Patrick Ross -- and Ross highlights this on IPcentral today:

There is so much competition for the consumer among these widget makers, and most of the widgets I viewed today involved manipulation of content. How are rights cleared for that content? What possibilities for piracy are introduced by those manipulations? These are questions that aren't necessarily being asked, let alone answered. The floor reps I spoke with certainly didn't have the answers.

Of course, if the floor reps had been coached by Larry Lessig, they might have suggested that copyright rules were developed to foster creativity and recognizing that the manipulation of content (with proper compensation mechanisms) is a new form of creativity that needs to be encouraged and not impinged by regulation developed for a previous century.

Still, props to Patrick for bringing a dose of (current) reality to the proceedings (as unwelcome as it may be to some).  His perceptions, after all, still are prevelant in Washington.

Comments

[Will Rodger]

Mr. Ross blogs:

> There is so much competition for the consumer among these widget makers, and most of the widgets I viewed today involved manipulation of content. How are rights cleared for that content? What possibilities for piracy are introduced by those manipulations? These are questions that aren't necessarily being asked, let alone answered. The floor reps I spoke with certainly didn't have the answers.
>

As Patrick doubtless knows, there is virtually no device on that floor that has not been thoroughly vetted with company lawyers, RIAA, MPAA, et al. ad nauseum.

If he really and truly has questions, I think he knows where to direct them: to CEA itself or, say, CCIA, PK, EFF or any of the other good-guy groups there today. I wonder: Would he quiz the local car salesman about the latests EPA regs, then write darkly of how he "certainly didn't have the answers?"

[Microsoft Office 2007]

This is a good,common sense article.Very helpful to one who is just finding the resouces about this part.It will certainly help educate me