Copyright Fights Slowing Broadband Growth

from the give-it-up-already dept

A panel discussion today focused on the fact that Hollywood's continual efforts to stop all piracy online is having the effect of slowing down broadband adoption. The panel included Gary Shapiro from the Consumer Electronics Association (who's quickly becoming the anti-Hilary Rosen) who pointed out that Hollywood has fought every technology innovation - and after they lost each battle they eventually profited from those new technologies. The main speaker, though, was an "intellectual property advisor" to the White House, who said, "Disruptive technologies and the content community have collided before -- we've read this book. For over one hundred years, every new technology has boosted the revenues of the creative copyright industries over the long run. There's no reason to think the Internet technologies will be any different." At the same time, he warns Hollywood that running to the government for help can lead to plenty of unintended consequences that they probably won't be happy with.