Talking of P2P, we are still waiting for the US Supreme Court to make its ruling on the good old MGM v Grokster case. As you'll all remember with perfect clarity, this is another case that is based around the Betamax Plea. Grokster claim that while evil kids the world over are, right now, as we speak, using their software to illegally share copyrighted films and music, Grokster themselves cannot be held liable for that copyright violation because, after all, their technology has all sorts of legit uses, and it's not their fault if the aforementioned evil kids choose not to use it for legitimate purposes. It's an excuse that has worked so far when the music and film industries have tried to close down P2P networks in the past - but the Supreme Court have the power to overturn that defence. All of which means the decision they make on this case, any day now, is pretty damn important, because if they reaffirm the Betamax plea this time it will be pretty hard for the content owners to continue the legal fight against the P2Ps in the courts - Congress would have to change the law.
Anyway, as previously reported, the major labels have been lining up their a-list talent ready to do the talk and news show rounds as soon as the decision has been made - to tell the wider world what a great judgment the Supreme Court has made, or how those deluded judges have destroyed the future of music, depending on which way they go.
Well, we now hear that the top executives from various US based content owner groups met last week to discuss their strategy for a post-ruling PR offensive. Word is organisations at the meeting included representatives from the Recording Academy, the Recording Industry Association of America, the Songwriters Guild of America, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Association for Independent Music, Harry Fox Agency, retail body NARM, National Music Publishers' Association, Recording Artists' Coalition, copyright body SESAC, and SoundExchange - which is quite a party.
Quite what they have got planned I guess we will see when the Supreme Court make their ruling. Judging by the current consensus, it is more likely we will see their 'we lost' response than their 'isn't the Supreme Court great' routine.