January 5, 2004
Volume 3, Issue 2
Policy Debate Sponsored by National Journal
The DCIA will participate in the National Journal's Technology Daily policy debate for subscribers focusing on what Congress can and should do about peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, entitled CAN CONGRESS TAME INTERNET PIRACY.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has been invited to deliver the keynote address.
Confirmed panelists for the debate include Jack Valenti, CEO, or Fritz Attaway, Executive Vice President, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA); Douglas Lowenstein, President, Entertainment Software Association (ESA); Sarah Deutsch, Associate General Counsel, Verizon Communications; Gigi Sohn, President, Public Knowledge; and Marty Lafferty, CEO, Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA). Also invited to participate on the panel are Bud Tribble, Vice President, Apple Computer; and Ted Cohen, Senior Vice President, EMI Music.
The moderator will be Drew Clark, Senior Writer, National Journal's Technology Daily.
The date for this event is Friday, January 16, 2004. The location will be the Watergate's University Room, 8th Floor, 600 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, DC. The time for the debate has been set for 8:45 AM to 11:00 AM US ET. A pre-panel breakfast will be held from 8:15 AM to 8:45 AM.
For more information, please contact Elizabeth Nixon at 202-266-7209 or enixon@nationaljournal.com.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 Thank you for supporting the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA) during our first six months of operation.
We are especially grateful to our Charter Members and to those who participated in the DCIA Fall General Meeting and in our collaborative process for developing alternative business models for commercial distribution of music via peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technologies.
The mission of the DCIA is to support the realization of the full potential of distributed computing while protecting consumer, business, and intellectual property rights; ensuring interoperability; and maintaining the highest standards of security, availability, and quality of service.
The quarterly meeting was an engaging forum and represented a step towards finding solutions for the digital future. The three P2P music models developed during this period not only provide specific options for further consideration, but also contain elements that can comprise a useful blueprint for decision-making and implementation of viable new business practices. Solutions that work for music can in turn help guide approaches for other content, media, and applications as well.
The discussion that the DCIA leads now revolves around issues of how to best guide, shape, and channel the flow of ideas and proposed actions to the benefit of all affected constituencies, from business communities to the public at large.
With change can come growth, and with growth, new opportunities. The DCIA believes that positive outcomes can be better achieved through collaboration than through confrontation, and that it is in everyone's interest to gauge the current situation constructively and to contribute actively towards mutually beneficial solutions.
The DCIA was created in response to the advent of file sharing and its evolution to its currently challenging state. We recognize that no single industry sector alone can resolve the issues raised by P2P - or harness its full potential - but believe that by working together in a balanced and structured manner involving all relevant business interests, real progress can indeed be made.
Our goals are to map a route through productive change to reach firmer ground where the enormous value and potential offered by P2P can reward commercial as well as consumer interests, and foster the acceptance of solutions that are both sustainable and profitable to all parties.&
We exist to provide a neutral forum and to act as an honest broker for dialogue among content creators and rights holders, telecommunications companies, distributed computing software companies, and relevant technology suppliers.
DCIA's initial focus has been to collaborate with P2P software companies, music labels and publishers, and telco- and cable-owned broadband ISPs, to devise and discuss alternative models to monetize any consumer behavior that currently does not reward creation or respect intellectual property -- specifically with respect to copyrighted works of the music industry. Our intent has been to spur the development of constructive business alternatives and to support a process for adoption and implementation of the most promising of them.
The three alternative P2P music distribution business models developed during the last quarter of 2003 signal a start of that process. The collaborative approach taken in creating these models has presented an opportunity for major stakeholders to think creatively and participate actively in our ongoing efforts. These are not meant to be end-all and be-all proposals, but rather are intended to serve as launching pads for further cooperation. Each is presented in the spirit of encouraging open-and-honest dialogue, and hopefully, will be taken as such.
(Please note that the third P2P music model is in the process of being completed with input from key constituents and will be announced and distributed shortly).
The DCIA's organizational structure centers around its three Membership divisions: the DCIA Platform Group - for telecommunications and computing hardware companies; the DCIA Operations Group - for distributed computing software and related applications providers; and the DCIA Content Group - for media content creators and rights holding companies. DCIA's charter calls for each Group to contribute equally to DCIA's budget and to retain equal voting rights.
Groups are empowered to structure and elect their own Governing Boards in a manner most appropriate to Group needs. Association resource allocations for policy, public relations, research, and working group efforts are to be agreed upon by the Executive Committee, which has Membership representation of two Board delegates from each Group.
The DCIA's Membership structure is based on a bicameral system of governance, allowing all of its Members to participate as fully as possible in the organization. Member responsibilities include: recommending DCIA policies, positions, and priorities; participating in meetings and working groups; recommending conference agendas; and suggesting projects.
Each Group (Platform, Operations, and Content) is represented by two Members it elects to serve on DCIA's Board of Directors. The Executive Committee is comprised of the Board of Directors and the DCIA CEO who serves as Chairman. The Executive Committee sets the positions and policies of the organization and provides primary governance, including in the following areas: driving strategic direction of the DCIA, approving budgets and staff appointments, setting conference and meeting agendas, assigning projects and working groups, adopting standards-and-practices recommendations, approving special initiatives and calls for raising funds.
The surest way to influence change is to participate actively. The DCIA urges you to accept our invitation and join our Membership early in 2004. Market segments working in isolation lack the ability to cooperate with other stakeholders, and will inevitably conceive of solutions that fail to take critical perspectives into account. It is only when disparate interests come together that profound and comprehensive changes can be wrought. The DCIA is not an exclusionary organization. Quite the contrary - we welcome every concerned party to join with us and become a force for reconciliation, collaboration, and progress.
DCIA Winter Quarterly General Meeting Set
Media Summit
The DCIA is pleased to announce that its Winter Quarterly General Meeting will be held in conjunction with Digital Hollywood's Media Summit in New York City, which is scheduled for Monday February 9 th through Tuesday February 10 th . The DCIA meeting will take place at the NY Hilton and Towers from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM US ET on Monday evening. A light buffet dinner will be served.
The DCIA will also participate in the Media Summit earlier in the day, with additional details and joint registration opportunities forthcoming.
The agenda for the DCIA meeting will focus on determining which of the three P2P music distribution models, or which aspects of them, should be further explored and refined for possible implementation. There will also be a discussion of potential legislative activity taking place in early 2004.
Please suggest additional agenda items and register for the DCIA Winter Quarterly General Meeting by e-mailing info@dcia.info. Space is limited so please sign-up to attend at your earliest convenience.
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