Report: "Broadcast Flag" Bills Circulating On Capitol Hill

REUTERS is reporting that drafts of three bills giving the FCC or the PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE the right to write new regulations enabling a "broadcast flag" copy protection scheme for digital radio and TV broadcasts are circulating on CAPITOL HILL. 

Two drafts give the FCC the power to authorize the controversial copy protection scheme that would thwart piracy (and possibly complicate or restrict taping for personal use, a right currently enjoyed by consumers), while a third would give the PTO the right to craft regulations banning any device that would covert digital broadcasts into analog for copying (the "analog hole"). A JUDICIARY COMMITTEE hearing is scheduled for THURSDAY, with the RIAA's MITCH BAINWOL, the MPAA's DAN GLICKMAN, and PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE Pres. GIGI SOHN scheduled to testify.

Read the REUTERS report through CNET by clicking here.

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