Public Interest Registry said it will indefinitely pause “further development” of its planned Systemic Copyright Infringement Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy (SCDRP) amid stakeholder scrutiny. PIR, the domain registry for the .org top-level domain, was developing SCDRP in concert with the Domain Name Association’s development of its Copyright Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy, a voluntary third-party mechanism akin to ICANN’s trademark-centric uniform dispute resolution policy that would address copyright infringement through the use of domain names (see 1702080085). The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Internet Commerce Association were among stakeholders criticizing DNA’s proposal and seeking further information on PIR’s plans (see 1702100054 and 1702170058). PIR said Thursday it paused development of SCDRP to “reflect on those concerns and consider forward steps.”
Public Interest Registry said it will indefinitely pause “further development” of its planned Systemic Copyright Infringement Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy (SCDRP) amid stakeholder scrutiny. PIR, the domain registry for the .org top-level domain, was developing SCDRP in concert with the Domain Name Association’s development of its Copyright Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy, a voluntary third-party mechanism akin to ICANN’s trademark-centric uniform dispute resolution policy that would address copyright infringement through the use of domain names (see 1702080085). The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Internet Commerce Association were among stakeholders criticizing DNA’s proposal and seeking further information on PIR’s plans (see 1702100054 and 1702170058). PIR said Thursday it paused development of SCDRP to “reflect on those concerns and consider forward steps.”
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded Thursday a set of 2014 and 2015 U.S. District Court rulings in New York in Flo & Eddie v. Sirius XM, as expected (see 1612200066). The New York district court had said Sirius owed performance royalties to Flo & Eddie, who own the copyright to The Turtles' “Happy Together” and the rest of that band's music, and other artists for the performance of The Turtles' pre-1972 sound recordings and other pre-1972 recordings (see 1411170043 and 1501160053).
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded Thursday a set of 2014 and 2015 U.S. District Court rulings in New York in Flo & Eddie v. Sirius XM, as expected (see 1612200066). The New York district court had said Sirius owed performance royalties to Flo & Eddie, who own the copyright to The Turtles' “Happy Together” and the rest of that band's music, and other artists for the performance of The Turtles' pre-1972 sound recordings and other pre-1972 recordings (see 1411170043 and 1501160053).
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded Thursday a set of 2014 and 2015 U.S. District Court rulings in New York in Flo & Eddie v. Sirius XM, as expected (see 1612200066). The New York district court had said Sirius owed performance royalties to Flo & Eddie, who own the copyright to The Turtles' “Happy Together” and the rest of that band's music, and other artists for the performance of The Turtles' pre-1972 sound recordings and other pre-1972 recordings (see 1411170043 and 1501160053).
The consensus among trade policy analysts speaking during a Feb. 3 panel discussion on Capitol Hill was that the Trump administration will be an unpredictable force in shaping international commerce. During a session hosted by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Peterson Institute for International Economics Senior Fellow Gary Hufbauer posited that the status quo of U.S. trade policy will continue. European Centre for International Political Economy Director Hosuk Lee-Makiyama said the EU is monitoring the cited unpredictable trade diplomacy of the White House akin, “in a sense,” to how it follows the behavior of North Korea.
Americans want and expect a single set of privacy rules, not one for ISPs and a second for everyone else, said Mobile Future interim Chairwoman Diane Smith in a Tuesday blog post. Smith cited results of a poll from last year by the Progressive Policy Institute, which found 94 percent of internet users say all companies collecting or using information online should fall under the same rules. “Nearly a dozen entities have already asked the FCC to reconsider the rules,” Smith wrote. “It is equally appropriate, and likely more expeditious, for Congress to eliminate the conflicting rules. At a minimum, the new FCC leadership should hit the pause button and delay implementation of the rules while regulatory appeals and Congressional action advance.”
Americans want and expect a single set of privacy rules, not one for ISPs and a second for everyone else, said Mobile Future interim Chairwoman Diane Smith in a Tuesday blog post. Smith cited results of a poll from last year by the Progressive Policy Institute, which found 94 percent of internet users say all companies collecting or using information online should fall under the same rules. “Nearly a dozen entities have already asked the FCC to reconsider the rules,” Smith wrote. “It is equally appropriate, and likely more expeditious, for Congress to eliminate the conflicting rules. At a minimum, the new FCC leadership should hit the pause button and delay implementation of the rules while regulatory appeals and Congressional action advance.”
Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry said the FCC should ignore a letter by Max Media CEO Gene Loving seeking a pause of the TV incentive auction and a rethink of the auction rules (see 1701120059). “Many people in Washington have quipped that election season is ‘silly season,’ but this recent letter from the CEO of Max Media proves that ‘silly season’ is not quite over,” Berry said in a statement. “The FCC should take Gene Loving’s request for what it truly is -- a ridiculous stall tactic in an attempt to distract policymakers from getting more mobile broadband services to consumer, and as such, the FCC should reject the request without hesitation.” The kind of delay Loving proposes would “violate the law, counter congressional intent and negatively impact auction participants who have spent countless hours and resources planning auction strategies,” Berry said. Thanks for letting me know "I'm part of the continuing 'silly season,'' Loving said in an emailed response. It would cost about $10 billion to close the auction now, new figures show (see 1701130077).
The design of the incentive auction is flawed, and FCC Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mike O'Rielly should pause it and rethink “the entire process of spectrum allocation,” said broadcast company Max Media CEO Gene Loving in a letter to the commissioners Thursday. “Taking a cue from President-Elect Trump’s efforts to reevaluate all government programs, I urge you to consider whether this auction, which was started under the previous administration, will likely end up as 'failed' just as the new commission takes over, leaving the new administration holding the proverbial bag,” said Loving. “I’m certainly not an expert in auction theory, but the results of the forward auction are clear evidence of a flaw in the design, possibly due to the wireless bidders being told over and over that if they don’t like the price, the auction will be rerun again and again and again,” the letter said. “Perhaps rather than announce the clearing values, the commission should have kept that information confidential. Wireless bidders should have been told only how much spectrum would be made available.” Under the new FCC administration, the auction could be temporarily halted and redesigned “to ensure the future spectrum needs are truly met that reflect the reality of the market, not a flawed auction process,” said Loving. “In line with the Trump administration business approach to running government, all 126 megahertz cleared in Stage 1 could be purchased by a specific purpose entity financed through the issue of bonds. That entity could then be charged with selling spectrum when demand merits the sale, meaning when prices are high enough so that the US Treasury could make a profit, or even better, leasing spectrum to the wireless industry at a monthly fee to create a long term income stream for the government and an ongoing return to U.S. taxpayers.”