NBCU Talks Video Piracy At CES, But Apple's Still Not Listening

Last October, NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) and companies like News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), CBS (NYSE: CBS), Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and others signed on to develop guidelines designed to prevent unauthorized online content. They drafted 15 points that called for a range of monitoring procedures to guard against copyright infringement.

At CES this week, NBCU gathered some of its members to highlight its efforts, which include pressing the federal government to take up the issue. In particular, some members are suggesting that the entertainment industry’s reliance on Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices has not made a dent in the growth of copyright violations, THR reports. Secondly, the group, which also includes smaller companies like Veoh and Dailymotion, have also identified a need to iron out existing differences. The companies have not outlined what those differences are, though methods and degrees for copyright filtering is something that the industry at large has had a tough time dealing with. For example, the FCC is investigating Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) for trying to disrupt the use of P2P networks by users.

FT: Apart from trying to move the coalition’s anti-piracy agenda along, NBCU has been trying to reach out to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), which has so far shown little interest in participating in the group. Aside from a disagreement about pricing, NBCU cited lack of cooperation on combating piracy when it decided not to renew its contract with Apple on iTunes downloads of its TV programming. As a sign that relations between NBCU and Apple haven’t warmed, the network hoped Apple would implement anti-piracy technology that could block copyright-protected content being used on the iPod. Though no one’s talking officially, Apple refused to entertain NBCU’s request.

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