FCC Moves to Squash TV Piracy Online

Federal Communications Commission has agreed to allow programmers to attach a code (broadcast flag, as it has come to be known) to digital broadcasts that will, in most cases, bar consumers from sending unauthorized copies of popular shows…

In its order, FCC told makers of digitalTV receivers that by July 1, 2005, their models must recognize an electronic marker that broadcasters can embed in their programs to limit piracy.

Consumers will still be able to make unlimited copies of their favorite shows and likely watch them in various rooms at home, but they will not be able to send them over unsecured networks until protections are established.

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