CEA Responds to RIAA/Trade Group Digital Content Agreement

[Gregg Lengling]

Arlington, Virginia 1/14/2003

The following statement was issued today by Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro in response to the agreement announced today between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and two technology trade groups on policy principles to address digital content issues:
"We welcome the RIAA's apparent opposition to government mandates that would force consumer electronics manufacturers to insert controls into their products which would limit consumers' home recording and fair use rights. We look forward to reviewing and analyzing the agreement and principles announced today more closely.

"In addition, we too support appropriate enforcement of existing laws to prevent the commercial piracy of copyrighted material.

"While we also support private negotiations between device manufacturers and content developers, we continue to believe that legislation is required to strike the necessary balance between protecting copyrights and consumers' fair use rights. To that end, we join numerous technology companies and consumer rights advocates in strongly supporting the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act (HR 107), introduced last week by Representatives Rick Boucher (D-VA) and John Doolittle (R-CA)."