The judge who oversaw the original copyright infringement case against Napster, back in the days when Napster was a P2P network and enemy number one in the record industry, has said he thinks there should be a new copyright body in the US made up of representatives of all interested parties, including the public, to issue blanket licences, negotiate and set standard royalties and adopt rules and regulations to help enforce content owner's rights.
According to Wired, Judge Miriam Hall Patel made the comments while giving a speech at Fordham University. He said: "There needs to be a comprehensive revision of the provisions that relate to the administration of copyright licensing, royalties and enforcement. I propose that a joint public/private administrative body made up of representatives of all competing interest, including the public, be established and authorised to, among other powers, issue licenses; negotiate, set and administer royalties; and adopt rules and regulations to carry out these purposes".