Innovation Asset Blog

New Copyright Alert Systems in Effect

The Center for Copyright Information (CCI) announced the official beginning of its Copyright Alert System (CAS) implementation phase this week, marking a potentially historic shift in the way royalty management rules are drafted and enforced in the digital age.

"We hope this cooperative, multi-stakeholder approach will serve as a model for addressing important issues facing all who participate in the digital entertainment ecosystem," CCI executive director Jill Lesser explained. "From content creators and owner to distributors to consumers, we all benefit from a better understanding of the choices available and the rights and responsibilities that come with using digital content, thereby helping to drive investment in content creation and innovative services that offer exciting ways to enjoy music, video and all digital content."

According to Forbes, the CAS model progresses as follows. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) officials provider Mark Monitor, CCI's antipiracy technology partner, with a continuously updated list of protected content. Analytics experts then leverage robust automation tools to flag instances of potential cases of copyright infringement observed in internet traffic. Internet service providers (ISPs) are informed of these events and then pass notification onto the consumers responsible for the illicit activity.

AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon internet subscribers will be subject to this system at the outset. However, the enforcement model prioritizes education over punishment and consumers will receive several chances to reform their ways before penalties like bandwidth throttling are put into effect.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.