Quote us on SCOTUS, Part 4
We continue with more commentary from interested parties regarding the Supreme Court's Monday triple play involving Brand X, Grokster and confidential source shielding. Today: Ben Scott of Free Press and Tom Giovanetti of IPI on Brand X, plus Sen. Stevens/Innouye and Warner Music Group's Edgar Bronfman, Jr. on Grokster
Brand X
Ben Scott, Free Press Policy Director: "The Brand X decision is not only absurd on its face, it is an insult to the American ideals of competitive markets, equal opportunity, and the free flow of information. This short-sighted decision to eliminate common carrier requirements on broadband networks essentially grants the incumbent cable giants the prerogative to stifle all competitive access to their wires. If the telephone companies receive similar exemptions-as is expected-the cozy duopoly of cable and DSL that controls more than 95 percent of the broadband market will be entrenched for a generation. There will be no competitive broadband carriers. There will be no independent ISPs. The thriving new market for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) may be badly destabilized. The owners of the wires will likely determine what content is and is not appropriate to travel over their networks."
Tom Giovanetti, President, Institute for Policy Innovation: "This is a great ruling for all facilities-based competitors, not just cable companies, because it establishes the FCC's ability to pursue a pro-investment broadband policy. The alternative is to give free-riders access to the property of others, a policy that has already been permitted in the communications arena for far too long."
Grokster
Joint statement of Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Co-Chairman Dan Inouye (D-HI): "In that same light, we also look forward to reviewing the Court's decision in Grokster, and to considering its impact on efforts to stem the tide of digital piracy while promoting e-commerce and the Internet's lawful uses."
Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group: "The most important message from today's historic decision is that progress and innovation do not have to come at the expense of recording artists, songwriters and the people who make their living in the entertainment industry. As a music company, we fully understand that our ultimate success lies not in preventing people from getting what they want but in providing it to them in new and exciting ways. We must strike a balance, one that nurtures technological innovation while at the same time protecting the very content that inspires innovation in the first place. We're grateful that the Supreme Court today unanimously agreed that distributors of software intended to promote copyright infringement are liable for the infringements committed by the users of such software. This important decision will allow artists and the creative community to prosper side-by-side with the technology industry."
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