The US consumer electronics and motion picture industries have teamed to put together federal legislation outlining copyright protection for the digital era. The legislation is designed to balance the interests of both consumers and copyright holders and would apply to digital video recording technologies, but not analogue. The Motion Picture Association of America and the Arlington, Virginia-based Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association have agreed to submit a recommendation to Congress that will allow consumers to carry on recording analogue television programs without paying additional costs, but would limit the consumer’s ability to record programs transmitted in a pay- per-view or video-on-demand format. As emerging digital technologies make almost perfect copies possible, the film industry is concerned about mass duplication and subsequent loss of revenue. Although the legislation would not involve any royalties being charged on to video recorders or blank cassettes, it would require consumer electronics firms to incorporate copyright protection technology into their digital recording devices. The recommendation would allow consumers to continue to make home video recordings of anything shown over broadcast or basic cable and to make a copy of subscription or other pay cable programming, but digital copies would be prevented and copyright proprietors would be able to prohibit copying of material from pay-per- view and video-on-demand media. The two organizations are now seeking input from other industries.
