Congress Presses P2P To Limit Abuse

Members of the Senate Commerce Committee took at tough stance in a hearing with members of the P2P community, saying that if developers of P2P technology do not take actions to limit copyright violations and keep pornography out of the hands of minors, Congress will. Sen.

Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said, “If you don’t move to protect copyright, if you don’t move to protect our children, it’s not going to sit well.” Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chair of the committee, said he does not believe suggestions that there is nothing that can be done to control pornography on the Internet. Speaking for P2P interests, Adam Eisgrau, executive director of P2P United, responded that there is no “technological magic bullet” that will address copyright concerns or those regarding children’s exposure to inappropriate content. Eisgrau urged Congress to revise copyright law to change the amount of compensation copyright holders can claim from those accused of infringement. He called for those involved “to intelligently and civilly discuss” the possibility of a voluntary licensing system.

ZDNet, 28 July 2005