Fair Use Bill Introduced in Congress

Some are cheering, some are saying it ain’t enough, and the RIAA is crying foul(anyone surprised?) Two congressmen, (Reps Rich Boucher and John Doolittle introduced legislation called the FAIR USE (Freedom And Innovation Revitializing U.S. Entrepreneurship) Act of 2007. According to Boucher’s website the bill is designed to

“protect the fair use rights of users of copyrighted material and thereby enable consumers of digital media to use it in ways that enhance their personal convenience. The legislation contains several improvements to the Digital Media Consumer's Rights Act, similar legislation which the lawmakers introduced in the 108th and 109th Congresses.”

"the fair use doctrine is threatened today as never before.  Historically, the nation's copyright laws have reflected a carefully calibrated balanced between the rights of copyright owners and the rights of the users of copyrighted material.  The Digital Millennium Copyright Act dramatically tilted the copyright balance toward complete copyright protection at the expense of the public's right to fair use," Boucher said.  "The FAIR USE Act will assure that consumers who purchase digital media can enjoy a broad range of uses of the media for their own convenience in a way which does not infringe the copyright in the work

"Without a change in the law, individuals will be less willing to purchase digital media if their use of the media within the home is severely circumscribed and the manufacturers of equipment and software that enables circumvention for legitimate purposes will be reluctant to introduce the products into the market,"

At least the debate will happen, unless the lobbyists…. nah, I’ll remain optimistic for at least a day on this.