Thanks MxxCon for posting this in our BPN Forum
Protecting intellectual property will take cooperation and innovation
The brief but dramatic history of Napster and other file-sharing services underscores an important legal and policy challenge posed by the Internet: how to protect intellectual property in the digital age.
At stake is the continued growth of the digital economy. Copyright holders—authors, musicians, filmmakers, software developers and others—will be able to take full advantage of the Internet as a powerful distribution channel only if their creations are appropriately protected.
The recording industry and movie studios, understandably concerned about the implications of file sharing, have been pressing Congress to act. A bill now before the U.S. Senate could result in the government selecting a specific anti-piracy technology and mandating its use in personal computers and other digital devices.
Piracy is deeply troubling, and the government clearly has an important role in the fight against it. But a government-mandated standard could actually hinder anti-piracy efforts by stifling technical innovation.