[Ecommerce] New name for WBT: The International Soccer Protection Act?

[Manon Ress]

http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/393

QUOTE:

The International Soccer Protection Act

Submitted by Gigi Sohn on May 23, 2006 - 10:15am.
I, and many others like me, have been searching for a rationale
behind the WIPO Broadcasters Treaty. While its original purpose was
purportedly to protect against signal theft, the treaty instead would
give broadcasters, and possibly webcasters, a 50 year copyright-like
right in the signals they transmit. These would be rights layered on
top of the real copyright holders rights, which would cause a huge
array of problems. Naturally, there are also some mandatory
technological protection measure provisions as well. A full list of
our concerns is here.

Thanks to Ben Ivins, the National Association of Broadcasters
lobbyist who is the driving force behind the broadcasters treaty, we
now have a rationale for why it is necessary. According to Congress
Daily, Ivins says that the treaty is needed to protect sports
programming, particularly international soccer matches that can be
picked up via satellite and rebroadcast in foreign countries. Wait a
minute, that sounds like a=85signal theft problem.

But I am glad to know now that WIPO is about to make policy that will
result in chaos for consumers, consumer electronics companies,
telecom and tech companies for the all important goal (no pun
intended) of protecting televised soccer matches.

************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

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