Providers of information and entertainment made available on the internet are interested in protecting the value of what they provide. A group including Viacom, NBC Universal and the Songwriters Guild are banding together to protect content, as well as to maintain a free and open internet. In addition to assuring that creators and distributors are fairly remunerated, the group claims it regards “…the internet as a vibrant town center where all consumers can safely choose from a vast array of digital products, entertainment and services." It wants to assure that one service is not promoted at the expense of another. The group is calling itself Arts+Labs, and will have bipartisan co-chairs, including Mike McCurrry, with ties to Bill Clinton, and Mark McKinnon, with ties to John McCain and George W. Bush.
