Senate to Examine Online Copyright Dispute
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A dispute between Internet providers and the recording industry over copyright protection and customer privacy has drawn the attention of the Senate Commerce Committee chairman.
The committee's chairman, Arizona Republican John McCain, said he would hold a hearing after Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback asked him to look into the issue.
McCain's decision means Congress will wade into a legal dispute that so far has played out in the courts. However, he did not say when the hearing might be scheduled.
The Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites), a trade group representing the five largest record labels, has been aggressively trying to shut down "peer to peer" networks like Kazaa and Morpheus, which allow users to download songs for free, and also has been pursuing individuals who use those services.
The RIAA asked Verizon Communications last summer for the name of one customer suspected of distributing more than 600 songs, but Verizon refused to do so without a court subpoena, saying such a move would violate privacy and due-process rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.
A U.S. court ordered Verizon to turn over the customer's name earlier this month, along with three other customer names subsequently requested by the RIAA.
The RIAA on Friday sent out cease-and-desist letters to the Verizon customers and one to an EarthLink Inc . customer.
Verizon is appealing the case, but Brownback has prepared a bill that would require the RIAA and other copyright investigators to file a formal lawsuit, rather than simply getting a court clerk's signature, before obtaining the names.
The current arrangement could allow stalkers, spammers, telemarketers and others with dubious motives to easily track down anyone they wanted, Brownback said on Thursday.
"I support the protection of copyright, but this is a big privacy issue," he said.
Brownback tried to attach his measure to another bill at a committee meeting Thursday morning, but withdrew it after McCain promised to hold a hearing.
