On a COICA related note, hot off the press, NTIA NOI on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Internet Economy <<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15.84px; "><a href="http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-24863.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-24863.pdf</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15.84px; ">></span><div>
<br></div><div>Comments due Nov 19.</div><div><br></div><div>##</div><div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15.84px; ">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
<br>Tuesday, October 5, 2010<br><br><br><br>News Media Contact:<br><br>Shira Kramer, (202) 482-4883, <a href="mailto:skramer@doc.gov" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">skramer@doc.gov</a><br><br><br><br>Commerce Department Seeks Comment on Protecting Copyrighted Works on<br>
the Internet<br><br>Department’s Internet Policy Task Force Leads Effort to Keep Internet<br>Open for Innovation<br><br><br><br>Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commerce Department’s Internet Policy Task<br>Force today issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking comment from all<br>
interested stakeholders - including rights holders, Internet service<br>providers, and consumers - on the protection of copyrighted works<br>online and the relationship between copyright law and innovation in<br>the Internet economy.<br>
<br><br><br>“The Department of Commerce has played an instrumental role in the<br>development of policies that have helped digital commerce flourish,”<br>U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “These policies explicitly<br>
recognize the legitimate rights and expectations of those whose<br>creation and distribution of digital works strengthen our economy,<br>expand our exports, and create jobs in America. Our ongoing challenge<br>and commitment is to align the flexibility needed for innovation in<br>
the Internet economy with effective means of protecting copyrighted<br>works that are accessible online.”<br><br><br><br>Considering the vital importance of the Internet in today’s society,<br>the Department of Commerce has made it a top priority to ensure that<br>
the Internet remains open for innovation. The initiative on Copyright<br>Policy, Creativity and Innovation in the Internet economy seeks to<br>identify policies that will:<br><br><br><br>1) Generate benefits for rights holders of creative works<br>
accessible online and make recommendations with respect to those who<br>infringe on those rights;<br><br><br><br>2) Enable the robust and free flow of information to facilitate<br>innovation and growth of the Internet economy; and<br>
<br><br><br>3) Ensure transparency and due process in cooperative efforts to<br>build confidence in the Internet as a means of distributing<br>copyrighted works.<br><br><br><br>The comments gathered through this NOI will be used by the Internet<br>
Policy Task Force in preparing a report that will contribute to the<br>administration’s domestic policy and international engagement in the<br>area of online copyright protection.<br><br><br><br>Today’s announcement and NOI represent one of many issue areas being<br>
tackled by the department’s Internet Policy Task Force, which Locke<br>launched in April. The Task Force is comprised of staff members from<br>the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA),<br>the International Trade Administration (ITA), the National Institute<br>
of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Patent and Trademark Office<br>(PTO), and is coordinated through Commerce’s Office of Policy and<br>Strategic Planning, which reports to the Secretary.<br><br>Prior to releasing this NOI, the Task Force held dozens of listening<br>
sessions with a wide range of stakeholders over the first half of the<br>year to better understand the current and most complex questions<br>related to online copyright protection and the broader impact of<br>content issues on innovation in the Internet economy. The Task Force<br>
also convened a public meeting on July 1 to address these issues<br>further, which included 20 speakers and representatives from a range<br>of stakeholder groups.<br><br><br><br>Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments by e-mail to<br>
<a href="mailto:copyright-noi-2010@ntia.doc.gov" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">copyright-noi-2010@ntia.doc.gov</a>. Comments filed in response to this<br>NOI will be made available to the public on the Internet Policy Task<br>
Force website at <a href="http://www.ntia.doc.gov/internetpolicytaskforce" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">http://www.ntia.doc.gov/internetpolicytaskforce</a>. For<br>this reason, comments should not include confidential, proprietary or<br>
sensitive business information.<br><br><br><br>More details concerning the NOI can be found in the Federal Register<br>notice at <a href="http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-24863.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-24863.pdf</a>.<br>
<br><br><br>###</span></div></div><br clear="all">---------------------------------------<br>Brenden Kuerbis<br>Internet Governance Project<br><a href="http://internetgovernance.org">http://internetgovernance.org</a><br>