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July 15, 2002

[News]
Consumer group slams BPDG process, product

An Internet.com article by Roy Mark reports on a highly-critical letter sent by the Consumer Federation of America to members of Congress.

On all counts, the efforts of the industry-dominated BPDG are off target. The BPDG seems to have started from the premise that all consumers are thieves and has set out to develop a hardwired anti-theft system that destroys consumers' abilities to make fair use of the programming that comes into their homes. [...]

In the longer term, the BPDG licensing approach will stifle innovation. It puts a handful of companies in charge of approving recording and display devises. Gatekeepers such as these inevitably protect their private corporate interests at the expense of the public interest.

We also understand that Public Knowledge, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and Consumers Union were represented at the roundtable meeting this morning, and had critical comments for the BPDG report.

Posted by Seth Schoen at 01:02 PM