FTC P2P Deadline For Public Comments

octalgirl writes "The FTC hosted 'Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Technology: Consumer Protection and Competition Issues' workshop is in December, but public comments are due by tomorrow (Nov 15th). If you have something to say about the how P2P file sharing is used today or ways it might be used in the future, get your 2 cents in now. You know the RIAA/MPAA certainly will. Guidelines for submitting are in the Federal Register Notice"

Re:My 2 cents....

[Arngautr]

Or maybe everyone is 'posting' where it matters, as per the article... Well maybe not, but I can always hope .. that is until they craft some overly broad legislation to crack down on "electronic file transfers," to only be selectively applied.

Late again

[Rares Marian]

Call me crazy, but why is this information coming up at the last minute. It always seems to happen with opportunities for comment.

Do we need to start giving out bounties to the first 100 people to find out about an important issue? And second stage bounhties to the first 1000 to inform another 100 each?

Re:Late again

[octalgirl]

I agree. I searched high and low on slashdot and was surprised that it wasn't already here. That's why I posted what I could, even though I knew it was late. I found out from an not-often-looked at tech list that I'm on. Maybe the FTC didn't advertise this one properly? Or maybe (conspiracy theory) the usual **AA helped keep it quiet? It seems wired or some other tech mag would have had notice.

Re:Late again

[Rares Marian]

Maybe some /. editor thinks anything with comments is going to be competition for /.

Re:Late again

[Rares Marian]

Incidentally, care to share what that tech list is so this doesn't keep happening.

Re:Tech List

[octalgirl]

Digital Media Wire digitalmediawire.com (dated Nov 5)

As I said, I don't always open this. I'm on a few lists that I just scan the headlines to see if anything is of interest to me. On Sunday the 14th I must have been going through old mail, cleaning things up when I spotted it. But I googled and used google news (and looked here) and nothing comes up for FTC comments. They put the call for comments out back in Oct. I did manage to get mine submitted, albiet a bit messy because I was so rushed.

"Bri

comment submission form

[cbr2702]

The submission form is located here [commentworks.com]

What I sent them:

[cbr2702]

Regulating p2p software won't work because it is impractical. The software itself is not very complex to write, and there are lots of projects with the source-code to their applications available (giFT, shareaza, dctc, bitTorrent and others). Control of these is impractical because they are not made by companies, but by individuals working in their spare time.

Control of these is also undesireable because legitimate uses of file-sharing technology are becomming more common. Linux cd-images are regularly distibuted by bitTorrent. Artists who release their work under Creative Commons liscenses use these systems to get their work out and known. Copyright law already provides recourse for copyright holders, and regulating p2p software would hurt legitimate users as well as copyright violators.

Federal Register Notice seems a bit biased

[Odocoileus]

Some of the things in the notice strike me as odd. For example items four, five, six, and seven on page seven: Does P2P make people install spyware, adware, viruses,or cause system slowdown?!? For the latter, how the hell does the software efficiency become a factor in deciding if it should be legal or not? As for the other three, get real, e-mail and all the stupid little things people install like weather monitors from their local TV stations and such is what comes to my mind first. Should we outlaw the