Alec French of NBC Universal has an addendum on the Thierer/von Lohmann interchange over unauthorized downloading:

As I understand the EFF proposal, it suggests a collecting society approach modeled on ASCAP. I don't see how the ASCAP model can possibly be represented as "voluntary" - ASCAP is covered by a decades-old antitrust consent decree under which its licensing fees and practices are subject to the approval of both the courts and the DOJ. The only way such a collecting society could operate in a truly voluntary manner would be if an antitrust exemption protected the activities of the collecting society. So, is EFF proposing an antitrust exemption for copyright owners so they can form truly voluntary collecting societies?

posted by James DeLong @ 9:19 AM | Internet: P2P, Search Engines...

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