Copyright Law

Record companies threatening investors in emerging technologies is the last thing our economy needs

By Ty Rogers and Ray Beckerman

Commentary:

This trend the content companies are showing towards attempting to threaten the investors in technologies they feel are infringing their copyrights is alarming, especially in view of the woeful state of our economy.

The last thing this country needs is to discourage potential investment in emerging technology.

Professional investors typically:

-invest only a portion of their assets, never putting their base or personal assets at risk; and

-carefully weigh the risks and rewards before investing.

If a professional investor determines that one type of investment will put his personal assets at risk, thus putting him out of business entirely, because one of the company's exposures happens to be in copyright infringement due to the unsettled state of copyright law in the 21st century... he or she will decide -- guess what -- to take a pass.

Which is exactly what the cold and calculating content cartel is hoping will happen.

They can't compete in the marketplace, and they don't know how to innovate or create anything themselves, so they are trying to use litigation as a means of choking off innovation.

This should be disturbing to each and every American.

The recent complaint filed by EMI, which is not even an American company, is an outrage.

I recommend that my readers write to the White House, and to Congress, calling for legislation to prevent this.

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Full post as published by Recording Industry vs The People on February 26, 2009 (boomark / email).