Patent Reform - Important to all Podcasters, Webcasters, and the Streaming Media Community.

Podcasters and Webcasters Troubled by Digital Media Patents

This article on the Washington Post <http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W4RH04DBD77C62282E87F3CE661BD0> may be relevant to those webcasters - broadcasters - podcasters troubled by companies that aggregate or purchase patents and issue licenses, such as those for streaming or on-demand transmission. The reporter for the Washington Post is Jonathan Krim and he can be reached atkrimj@washpost.com.

Acacia Media Technologies wants a license from any media using digital transmissions that infringes on their digital media patent.

As you may remember, Acacia Media Technologies have been back and forth with many streaming companies and webcasters in a heated licensing debate. Acacia makes money by securing and licensing patent rights and technologies such as digital audio and video on-demand transmission. Some thought that Acacia was singling out pornography webcasters or small streaming media companies. Acacia Media Technologies Corporation has added Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems Corporation, Insight Communications Company, Bresnan Communications, and Cebridge Connections, to its patent infringement litigation commonly referred to as DMT (Digital Media Transmission). Story on the cable litigation on http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050428005176&newsLang=en

Do Webcasters, Streaming Media Companies, Broadcasters Podcasters Need Patent Reform?

If a webcaster, streaming media company, broadcaster, podcaster, video blogger or whoever is concerned wants patent reform - what do they want to change? If they seek reform on the patent laws - what do you want to change that does not limit that small webcaster or podcaster from protecting something they invent or design and having a patent issued for their creation?

What Efforts Will You See on Patent Reform?
If the industry decides on a strategy that they want to push forward with patent reform, it will take a concerted effort to change the law.

- It will also take money, manpower, power, and access to the decision makers and influentials in Washington DC.

- Who will the groups pay to lobby, or who will they partner with to educate others of their position?

- Do they have the legal resources and who would be the one to evaluate what is the position, and then get enough people to agree on it - and spend the money on education, lobbying and building momentum for this cause?

Many of us have discussed these issues and it is a challenging dilemma.

I thought this might be of interest from the Washington Post, "
Evaluating A Patent System Gone Awry <http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W4RH04DBD77C62282E87F3CE661BD0>
While brawls over Social Security and lobbying high jinks dominate the news on Capitol Hill, Congress is quietly moving on one of the technology industry's top priorities: revamping the patent system."

Peg

First posted to Webcasting List Membership and Community - founded 1996