Help kill SIRA
p2p news / p2pnet: IPac says the US Congress goes into summer recess Friday, "but not before considering the Section 115 Reform Act of 2006 (SIRA). Never heard of SIRA?
"That’s the way Big Copyright and their lackey’s want it, and it’s bad news for you."
SIRA, "fundamentally redefines copyright and fair use in the digital world," says IPac.
"It would require all incidental copies of music to be licensed separately from the originating copy. Even copies of songs that are cached in your computer’s memory or buffered over a network would need yet another license. Once again, Big Copyright is looking for a way to double-dip into your wallet, extracting payment for the same content at multiple levels."
As things stand, "incidental" copies don’t need to be licensed, says IPac, a non-partisan group created to preserve individual freedom through balanced information policy.
Incidentals re made by doing other things, "like listening to your MP3 library or plugging into a Net radio station," says the organization.
"If you paid for the MP3 and the radio station is up-to-date with its bookkeeping, nobody should have to pay again, right? Not if SIRA becomes law. Out of the blue, copyright holders would have created an entire new market to charge for – and sue over. Good for them. Bad for us."
You have a unique chance to kill this legislation, declares IPac, adding, "If we can stall SIRA now it would effectively kill it for the reminder of the year, giving us more time to prepare an offensive.
"Please call the Members of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property and voice your opposition to this legislation."
Head over to the IPac site for a list of names and phone numbers.
(Thanks, Carpefile)
Digg this story.
Also See:
IPac – The worst bill you’ve never heard of, June 5, 2006
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June 6th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
You know what, they can try to do whatever the hell they want, I am just not going to abide by their stupid shit.
June 7th, 2006 at 2:35 am
bunch of *******
all USA readers need to write to their representatives to get this dropped – this is a disaster in the making
June 7th, 2006 at 3:53 am
Why I will never go to USA:
broke laws: – DMCA
– copyright (**AA go sue yourselves up the a**)(also a victimless crime, only the cartels lose $$$, cartels include MPAA,MPA,RIAA,IFPI,BSA,CRIA,etc)
– SIRA (proposed)
i break copyright laws. i dont give a **** about sira
June 7th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
According to this article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/07/another_effing_own_goal/
The RIAA and EFF will unite to kill this bill, each for their own reasons.
June 8th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
DiMA, with input from the National Music Publishers Association, prepared the following correction of the misinformation put forward by the EFF that was so eagerly gobbled up by the gullable – including P2PNet.
I guess you can attemp to kill it, but it’s designed to make it easier for the distributors of digital music to provide consumers with the kinds of digital services they desire.
SIRA Does Not Harm Fair Use
The Section 115 Reform Act (SIRA) provides digital and online music services with legal clarity, administrative simplicity and freedom to innovate without risk of infringement litigation.
SIRA does not:
1. reduce fair use or consumer rights
2. increase the cost of digital music, or
3. obligate music services or technology providers to take a license or pay royalties with respect to activities that previously did not require a license or royalties.
Section 115 of the Copyright Act has never defined rights of creators, copyright owners or consumers. It has never defined limitations on rights (including fair use); nor has it ever obligated any individual or company to use the license with respect to any activity.
- A 115 license post-SIRA will authorize “incidental”, “cached”, “network” and “RAM buffer” copies for the protection of licensees, i.e., to ensure that licensees’ are immune from infringement risk for all activity associated with providing the licensed service, beginning with storage of the music on servers and continuing through distribution of the music to consumers.
- SIRA does not change existing law regarding any party’s obligations or liability that may (or may not) be associated with unauthorized or unlicensed reproduction of copyrighted works (including music) on servers, networks, caches or RAM buffers.
- SIRA includes a savings clause to ensure that no inadvertent obligations or liability are created, and that there is no negative inference with respect to unlicensed activity or activity governed by other provisions of the Copyright Act.
Section 115 has always been just a license, SIRA will provide a clear, simple licensing mechanism for digital music distributors and services to utilize if they choose.
- The license defined by SIRA is mandatory for copyright owners to offer, but voluntary for music services to use.
- SIRA explicitly identifies that the license authorizes end user reproductions associated with a music service in order to protect the service, e.g., iTunes, Rhapsody or XM Radio, against infringement actions initiated against a provider for secondary or “enabling” liability associated with customers’ enjoyment of the service.
- The license is not available to consumers, does not obligate consumers to pay a royalty, and does not limit consumer rights in any way.
- SIRA includes a savings clause to explicitly ensure that it does not change fair use law.