Citing both "significant benefits" and risks to consumer users, the FTC has released a new staff report, based on its December 2004 File-Sharing Workshop. The workshop record includes presentations by various witnesses who testified on how P2P works, risks to consumers, technological, governmental and private responses, and effects on efficiency, competition, copyright and the music distribution industry.
The report declined to make specific recommendations about intellectual property issues in light of the impending decision of the United States Supreme Court in Metro-
Goldwyn Mayer Studios v. Grokster, Ltd., 380 F.3d 1154 (9th Cir.).
See: Unintended Consequences: MGM v. Grokster Sources (Feb. 3, 2005).
The full report is available online now: Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Technology: Consumer Protection and Competition Issues (51 pages, PDF)
Thanks to BeSpacific for this source. beSpacific: FTC Issues Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Report
Posted by dougsimpson at June 24, 2005 04:52 AM