quinta-feira, maio 03, 2007
Sou um dos utilizadores do Pandora - Music Genome Project, uma das ideias mais geniais dos últimos tempos na net.
Entretanto nos EUA foi aprovada uma lei que fará com que os sites que se dedicam ao streaming (entre os quais se encontra o Pandora) não tenham qualquer hipótese de sobrevivência nos mesmos moldes em que funcionam actualmente. O pessoal do Pandora iniciou a tradicional petição on-line, ligada a um sistema que enviava um fax em nome de cada um dos assinantes da petição para o gabinete dos representantes políticos da sua área de residência.
Como não sou residente nos EUA, inscrevi-me como residente em Nova Iorque para ver como funcionava o sistema e quando dei por ela o meu nome já fazia parte de um fax que havia sido enviado ao Representative Maloney e aos Senadores Schumer e Hillary Clinton. Destes, apenas a Srª Clinton respondeu, com a carta que passo a transcrever:
Dear Mr. Silva:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the proposed new royalty rates for online radio. I always enjoy hearing from New Yorkers about challenging public policy issues that are important to them, and I particularly appreciate your concerns regarding the future of I nternet radio. As you may know, I am a strong supporter of maintaining an open Internet that fosters innovation. No other communications medium in recent history has had such a profound impact on the expression of speech, education, the dissemination of information and the exchange of ideas.
Online radio is a great example of how the Internet has helped to cultivate innovation and offered consumers access to new an d personalized information. However, the great technological and commercial progress that has come with the ongoing development of the Internet has also brought with it numerous new public policy dilemmas, such as how to balance copyright protection for music and other property with the innovation that the Internet continues to cultivate.
As you know, in March 2007 the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) proposed a new online radio royalty structure, which would amend the system that has been in place since 2002 and establish a new scale for royalties charged to I nternet radio companies on a per-song, per-listener basis. The proposed rates will begin at 0.08 cents per song per listener, retroactive to January 1, 2006 , and will reach 0.19 cents per song per listener in 2010. The CRB has since announced that it will hear appeals of its previous ruling. Your concerns about this matter are significant and I hope that this period for appeal will enable the CRB to carefully consider points of view like yours.
Thank you again for sharing your concerns regarding these important I nternet radio issues with me. Please be assured that I will continue to follow this issue closely and that I will
keep your views in mind in the future if related measures come before the Senate. For more informa tion on my support for an open I nternet and other important issues before the United States Senate, please visit my website at http://clinton.senate.gov .
Sincerely,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
