After more than a year of intensive study, the U.S. Copyright Office issued its report on whether to maintain, modify or eliminate Sections 111, 119 and 122 of the Copyright Act. It will serve as the basis for discussion for possible changes to the statutory licenses.

Section 109 of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA) of 2004 requires the Copyright Office to examine and compare the statutory licensing systems for the cable and satellite television industries under Sections 111, 119 and 122 of the Copyright Act and recommend any necessary legislative changes no later than June 30, 2008.

The Section 111 license, first enacted in 1976, permits a cable operator to retransmit both local and distant television and radio signals to its subscribers, provided that the cable operators pay royalties according to the formula set forth in the law. The other two licenses govern the retransmission of broadcast signals by satellite carriers. The Section 119 license, first enacted in 1988, permits a satellite carrier to retransmit distant superstation and network television station signals (but not radio signals) to its subscribers for private home viewing and to commercial establishments on a flat fee basis. The Section 122 statutory license, on the other hand, was first enacted in 1999 and permits satellite carriers to retransmit local television station signals into the stations’ local market on a royalty-free basis. These statutory licenses are linked, in many respects, to the broadcast signal carriage rules administered by the Federal Communications Commission.

In preparing its report, the Copyright Office sought comment from the affected industries, copyright owners and other interested parties and held three days of hearings in July 2007 to further supplement the record. The report was delivered to Congress on June 30 by the Copyright Office.

The principal recommendation in the report is that Congress move toward abolishing Section 111 and Section 119 of the Act. According to the Copyright Office, the cable and satellite industries are no longer nascent entities in need of a statutory licensing system. They have substantial market power and are able to negotiate private agreements with copyright owners for programming carried on distant broadcast signals. Moreover, the Copyright Office finds that the Internet video marketplace is robust and is functioning well without a statutory license. The Copyright Office also concludes that the distant-signal programming marketplace is less important in an age when consumers have many more choices for programming from a variety of distribution outlets. The office nevertheless recommends the retention of a royalty-free local-into-local license, because such a license is still necessary and it promotes the general welfare of users, broadcasters and the public.

Despite the Copyright Office’s determination that the ultimate solution should be the elimination of the existing distant signal licenses, it recognizes that the digital television transition in 2009 is likely to generate unanticipated signal reception problems for millions of American households. The office also finds that it is important for Congress to provide a lifeline distant signal service for subscribers during the post-transition period. The Copyright Office therefore recommends the establishment of a new statutory licensing system that would cover the retransmission of distant broadcast signals beginning on Jan. 1, 2010, and ending on Dec. 31, 2014. This will permit users of the license to serve the needs of their subscribers who may experience viewing disruptions. According to the Copyright Office, an equally important rationale for a transitional license is that it will take time for voluntary licensing arrangements to take shape and become widely available. The marketplace will work but it needs to be given time to adapt to changes in the regulatory regime.

Congress may decide that there should still be separate statutory licenses for cable operators and satellite carriers. The Copyright Office, then, makes several recommendations for adjusting Sections 111, 119 and 122. The recommendations in this regard are intended to further parity between cable operators and satellite carriers.

An electronic version of the report will be available under the “Hot Topics” section on the Copyright Office Web site at www.copyright.gov.

The mobile music market will be experiencing another tipping point thanks to The Grid Records, a Phoenix-Ariz.-based music production, artist development and record distribution company, with the launch of their ‘Mobi Music’ (www.mobimusicco.com/download) program. The innovative ‘Mobi Music’ service will spark a triple-threat revolution in the billion dollar mobile music industry—synonymously benefiting the three driving forces behind the mushrooming trend: the perspective consumer, the recording artist and the wireless carriers.

‘Mobi Music’, the brainchild of The Grid Records founder and serial entrepreneur, Mark Schmitz, was conceptualized to give a universal audience a simple access point to purchase full-length music tracks and complete albums instantaneously via wireless phone then have the purchase immediately available to save in the user’s desired computer music program—all without the hassle of integrating, downloading and upgrading software, monthly subscription fees or unsecure virtual payment worries.

The effortless, yet resourceful model of ‘Mobi Music’ came to life with the integration of evolving mobile application technologies. This first generation of the ‘Mobi Music’ program allows the purchase of digital music to be made using the consumer’s mobile phone bill; no registration or credit cards are required—all rules, regulations, components and certifications with respective parties, including the Mobile Marketing Association have been approved and ready for use.

“Finding the appropriate technological component that fit the ‘Mobi Music’ vision presented unexpected challenges and unwanted obstacles in our initial stages,” explains Schmitz. “Although the mobile music industry, as a whole, is saturated, we found the capabilities and functionality of existing programs were very limited. The evident need in the marketplace for a program that incorporated the same ideals as the ‘Mobi Music’ concept, stimulated us to produce a high-performing product to give to the marketplace.”

The opportunities within ‘Mobi Music’ put the consumer back in control of their purchases and proficiently integrate the need for instant gratification on a specific music selection with a painless text-to-buy process. A single track or a full album can be purchased, accessed online and saved in a desired music program in less than a minute. ‘Mobi Music’ users will have their favorite artists tracks or record – literally at their fingertips – and will have the ability to make their purchase at a live concert, watching the music video, listening to the song on the radio or a multitude of other media channels.

In addition to the benefits ‘Mobi Music’ gives to the consumer, the concept creates a direct revenue stream for record sales, as well as the participating wireless carriers. ‘Mobi Music’ presents an ideal value-added distribution model for record labels and album sales executives with the built-in opportunities to transform marketing and advertising efforts into direct distribution access points.

“The disruptive technology presents an evergreen enhancement to all promotional materials for artist album sales,” says Dave Franke, Managing Partner of The Grid Records. “Instead of communicating the date when the album will be in stores, the message becomes ‘text the code word to the assigned number to purchase full-length single, multiple tracks or the entire album’. The return on your investment increases tenfold—the possibilities are endless.”

GRAMMY Award-winning band Coldplay will have a dedicated channel on XM Radio, it was announced today. Beginning July 15, the month-long channel, “30 Days of Coldplay” (XM 51), will provide fans with music from the Coldplay catalog, including import-only released tracks and other hard-to-find recordings and tracks from their new album, an uncut, exclusive concert broadcast from the Viva La Vida North American Tour, plus other live performances, interviews and more. Viva La Vida, the band’s fifth full-length album was released in the U.S. last week and holds the record for the biggest number of pre-sales on iTunes. Their Viva La Vida North American Tour kicks off in Los Angeles on June 29.

“Coldplay is one of the most successful bands of the last decade, winning over fans across the musical spectrum with their unique sound and superb musicianship,” said Eric Logan, executive vice president of programming, XM. “With broadcasts of live performances, interviews and the band’s musical catalog, “30 Days of Coldplay” will offer an unparalleled Coldplay experience for both die-hard fans and those who are curious to hear what everyone is talking about.”

Since the band’s formation in London 10 years ago, Coldplay has risen to become one of most popular music acts of the decade, selling more than 30 million albums and winning five GRAMMY Awards. After surfacing in 2000 with the breakthrough single “Yellow,” Coldplay quickly became one of the biggest bands of the new millennium. Parachutes went multi-platinum and earned the band their first Grammy. In 2002, Coldplay released sophomore album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, winning Grammy Awards for “Clocks” and “In My Place.” Coldplay’s third album, X&Y was released in 2005, followed by their latest album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

“30 Days of Coldplay” (XM 51) will be available on XM from July 15 through August 15. Programming information will be available online soon at http://www.xmradio.com/coldplay.

Genius, a division of KYE Systems Corp., announced today a new speaker system that has a touch panel screen to control function, volume, bass or treble all with the touch of a finger. Combing fun with great sound, everything is controlled right from the front of the speaker. The adjustable light for the slide bar illuminates when adjustments are made to the SP-T1200, creating a high-tech look and feel. The compact size, mixed with 30-watt sound, make these speakers the perfect companion for laptops and notebooks of all kinds.

Priced at $99.00 MSRP, the 2.0 Touch Speaker System comes in black-onyx for a contemporary look and feel. Perfect for gaming or listening to music in-between class or while on the road, these new speakers are easy and fun to use. The touch panel speaker also features a jack for headphones, audio cable and an accessible “mute” button to turn off the sound when needed. The SP-T1200 are currently available at New Egg.com, Amazon.com, Mac Mall, Tiger Direct, Buy.com or other retailers and distributors listed at http://www.geniusnetusa.com/buy.php.

Even though it was Intel’s 6-core monster that got all the attention, one little gem that missed out on the publicity a bit was Larrabee, Intel’s CPU-GPU hybrid or essentially a graphic card processor, or a processor graphic card, or something along those lines.

To find out more about this demonic hybrid, hit the jump!

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