Lawmaker Concerned About "Fair Use" Rights and Digital TV

A key legislator in the House of Representatives warned that copy protection used in the transition from analog to digital television broadcasts must protect Americans' "fair use" rights. In a carefully worded speech, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing copyright law, said that future Federal Communications Commission regulations involving digital TV should not "have an adverse affect on how consumers may legitimately use lawfully acquired entertainment products."