Copyright Mashup

A merging of copyright related chatter and initiatives that inevitably (and appropriately) clash together like a Celine Dion/Nine Inch Nails extended dance version remix...

NBCU general counsel Rick Cotton tells the FCC to enforce IP protection as part of its job regulating broadband industry practices ...  From Broadcasting & Cable....

"The commission should make unmistakably clear, as part of its regulations governing broadband industry practices, that broadband service providers have an obligation to use readily available means to prevent the use of their broadband capacity to transfer pirated content," even if it is just to notify customers who have been "identified as infringers."  (hat tip: NewTeeVee)

He calls out the FCC for being "mute" on copyright infringement and throws out notable bugaboos to underline his claim...

NBCU suggested that the government was "stand[ing] by mutely" while the Internet was being "hijacked" by bandwidth hogs illegally distributing digital content over peer-to-peer networks, saying P2P traffic accounted for 60%-70% of all Internet traffic, with 90% of that P2P traffic in violation of copyright laws.

"Would the government permit Federal Express or UPS to knowlingly operate delivery services in which 60%-70% of the payload consisted of contraband such as illegal drugs or stolen goods," said NBC U, then racheted up the analogy: "Surely, the government would not turn a blind eye if nearly three-quarters of the Internet's traffic consisted of child pornography."

Interestingly, Ars Technica today reports on a study by Ellaycoya Networks, makers of deep packet inspection gear for carriers -- and a company with, presumably, no dog in the copyright fight -- that says that P2P use now makes up 37% of broadband traffic.  HTPP traffic has taken off thanks to the surge of Web video streaming sites like YouTube.  (Graph and more after jump....)

And, regardless of actual P2P traffic and the lack of FCC action on IP protection, AT&T has taken a notable proactive step to impede piracy on its networks:

In a break with other Internet service providers, AT&T Inc. will work with Hollywood studios and recording labels to devise technology that identifies offshore content pirates who use its network to upload illegal copies of movies and music. (AP)

On the other hand, British Telecom's head, Ben Verwaayen, has a different perspective.  At an international copyright summit held a few weeks ago, the Hollywood Reporter noted...

Verwaayen flatly rejected suggestions that operators like BT need to compensate rights owners because they provided the infrastructure for online piracy.

"It's nonsense," he said. "It's the same issue in many industries: Is one responsible for the problems of another? If you think someone else will solve your problems for you, forget it -- it won't happen."

Much more on the copyright summit from Gerd Leonhard here.

But, back to the US and NBCU's Cotton....  According to ContentAgenda, he's also helping lead a new anti-piracy coalition that includes the MPAA, RIAA, manufacturers, and the pharmaceutical industry simply called the "Campaign to Protect America".  The group looks to gather support from labor and has begun reaching out to organized labor on grounds that counterfeiting and piracy are threats to American jobs "(elevate) enforcement of existing copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret laws to the top of the public policy agenda."

This effort comes on the heals of the creation of the Copyright Alliance that, according to an email from Patrick Ross yesterday, continues to grow nicely post-launch.

Finally, if your head hasn't exploded yet, check out this trailer to the well-done documentary called Good Copy, Bad Copy that looks at the artistic and rights fights happening now with the explosion of digital entertainment.

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