[Infowarrior] - Biden: "all stakeholders" brought together ... NOT

[Richard Forno]

Consumer group blasts White House's digital piracy pow-wow
Sam Gustin
Dec 15th 2009 at 2:40PM
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http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/15/consumer-group-blasts-white-houses-digital-piracy-pow-wow/

Late last month, Somali brigands in a dinghy hijacked the Maran  
Centaurus, an American-bound tanker carrying millions of barrels of  
crude oil, in the latest episode of escalating pirate attacks off the  
coast of the failed, anarchic East African state. But that event won't  
come up at Tuesday afternoon's White House meeting on piracy, because  
at that gathering, the topic of discussion will be so-called digital  
piracy. Led by Vice President Joe Biden, the meeting "is the first of  
its kind, and will bring together all of the stakeholders to discuss  
ways to combat piracy in this rapidly changing technological age,"  
according to the White House.

On Tuesday morning, a prominent consumer advocacy group took the White  
House to task for the lopsided guest list of the meeting, which did  
not include "consumer or public-interest groups, technology companies,  
technology associations or Internet Service Providers."

Biden will be joined at the meeting by Attorney General Eric Holder,  
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Commerce Secretary Gary  
Locke, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Secret Service Director Mark  
Sullivan, "as well as CEOs from major media conglomerates, union  
representatives, legal experts and other government officials," the  
White House said.

Industry participants will include Michael Lynton, chairman and CEO of  
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SNE); Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of  
Warner Bros. Entertainment (TWX); Philippe Dauman, chairman and CEO of  
Viacom (VIA); Jeffrey Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal; Edgar Bronfman,  
CEO of Warner Music Group; Zachary Horowitz, president and COO of  
Universal Music Group (VIVEF); and Michael Regan, executive vice  
president of News Corp (NWS).

Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, said it was  
"extremely disappointed to learn of the White House meeting to be held  
later today on the issue of intellectual property and 'piracy.'"

'All of the Stakeholders'?

"It is unclear why three cabinet officers, several subcabinet  
officers, the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the  
U.S. Secret Service are needed to tend to the worries of the big media  
companies, particularly the motion picture industry, which is  
completing a year in which it will set box-office records," fumed Gigi  
Sohn, president of Public Knowledge.

Despite the White House's assertion that "all of the stakeholders"  
will attend the meeting, Sohn pointed out that "some stakeholders are  
noticeably missing."

"No consumer or public-interest groups, technology companies,  
technology associations or Internet service providers are on the guest  
list," Sohn said. "No one who questions the need for draconian  
governmental policies on behalf of the privileged special interest  
group for whom this meeting is being held is on the guest list."

"If Vice President Biden is truly interested in learning more about  
intellectual property, we hope he will continue his consultations with  
a group of people who share a wider range of views than those with  
whom he will meet today," Sohn said.

Additionally, the group questioned "the propriety of having Attorney  
General Eric Holder attend a meeting with top officials of NBC when it  
is quite possible that the Department of Justice will have to rule on  
NBC's unprecedented merger with Comcast, which would combine those two  
media giants."

Meanwhile, the Maran Centaurus, its crew and its cargo remain hostage  
to the drugged-up Somali pirates who continue to maraud against  
American and America-bound ships in the Gulf of Eden. No word on when  
the White House will hold a "first of its kind" meeting to discuss  
that topic.