COPYCENSE

"The Congressional Budget Office released a new study on digital copyright issues, outlining economic problems that Congress should keep in mind as it grapples with making new laws.

"While stopping short of specific legislative recommendations, the paper offers a set of principles for lawmakers that’s largely focused on avoiding being tied too closely to past practices or to the interests of powerful companies or consumer groups.

"The paper could provide a strong working text for legislators, as they face growing calls from both copyright holders and consumer groups to reshape laws that have been severely tested by the growth of the Net and digital copying technologies."

John Borland. Congressional Economists Tackle Copyright Issues. News.com. Aug. 10, 2004.