Inside Move: Swap meet
P2P ruling revisits old copyright conflicts
As far back as the player piano, content creators have feared the impact of disruptive new technologies and fought in Congress and courts to limit or eliminate them.
But in most cases -- including phonographs, radio and cable TV -- courts and Congress let them live, often instituting statutory copyrights as a way to let technology and copyrights survive.
In 1984's Betamax case, the Supreme Court ruled VCR manufacturers aren't liable for illegal recordings. Since then, homevideo has grown into a $20 billion-plus market, bigger than theatrical; that gives Hollywood an enormous interest in protecting its intellectual property rights.
Technology advocates say P2P could be the next big thing if only Hollywood would negotiate deals to legally distribute their content.
But studio and label execs often refer to such entreaties as extortion and say they'll work out digital distribution when and how they want. (A recent settlement by the RIAA with P2P network iMesh soon may provide the first such case.)
In the meantime, the MPAA and RIAA may appeal last week's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and efforts continue to pass federal legislation that would essentially outlaw P2Ps.
The only thing certain is that music piracy is rampant, with movies and TV not far behind, and Hollywood has yet to find an effective way to crack down, manage it or peacefully co-exist.
