See also: Asians Affirm Internet Treaties Against Piracy Oct. 25, 2001 09:35 ET http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171502.html ----- Forwarded message from bhoytat_private ----- From: bhoytat_private Subject: DiMA Statement Re: EU Proposal to WIPO To: declan Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 14:32:56 -0500 November 26, 2001 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Brian E. Hoyt Brodeur Worldwide (for DiMA) 202.715.0503 PH 202.246.5435 CELL bhoytat_private European Union Proposal to WIPO Would Grant Internet Media Companies Protections Against "Signal Piracy" Equal to Traditional Broadcasters DiMA Supports Europe's Direction and Encourages US Officials to Take Similar Action WASHINGTON, DC - Jonathan Potter, Executive Director of the Digital Media Association (DiMA), issued the following statement on today's opening of a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) meeting of more than 100 nations in Geneva, Switzerland: "The Digital Media Association (DiMA) strongly supports the approach of the European Union's proposed "broadcast rights" treaty language which will be considered this week by WIPO. The EU approach would provide traditional anti-piracy protection to broadcast signals regardless of the transmission technology used to distribute these broadcasts. DiMA welcomes the EU approach that puts webcasting and Internet transmissions on the same footing as traditional radio and television broadcasting. "This is an historic opportunity to set a new framework for how regulatory bodies define broadcasting, media, and the protection of intellectual property." "Since our inception in 1998, DiMA has been an active advocate before WIPO and other organizations for intellectual property protection regimes that are consistent across all technology platforms. "Specifically, DiMA has encouraged WIPO's consideration of a possible new international treaty to protect the rights of broadcasters, including webcasters, against piracy of their broadcast signals, whether those signals are delivered by wire or by wireless technology. "The EU approach is consistent with DiMA's objectives to have a new inclusive treaty that would grant equivalent intellectual property protections to both established and new media. Any other approach would suggest that copyrighted content has different value merely because it is broadcast by terrestrial broadcast, cable, satellite or the Internet. "The EU's forward-looking approach will assure that a new broadcaster rights treaty, which is likely to be in force for several decades, will protect the growing Internet webcasting industry - an industry in which both traditional radio and television companies participate fully. Anything less would make a new treaty obsolete before adoption. "DiMA encourages the United States government to support the EU approach at this week's WIPO conference, and to ensure that U.S. policy does not discriminate against new media. This is critically important as new technologies and new forms of digital media transmission change the landscape for consumers of entertainment goods and services." ### The Digital Media Association (www.digmedia.org) is the only trade association that exclusively represents companies that develop and utilize digital technologies to perform, distribute, protect and manage entertainment content. On behalf of the digital media industry and our member companies, DiMA supports public policies and business practices that encourage technological innovation, creativity and consumer value. ----- End forwarded message ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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