Know Your Rights Before You Download ...

Sights and Insights

Billy A. Robbins, Intellectual Property Attorney, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.

The Federal Court system is being deluged with law suits brought by the RIAA against people who are downloading copyrighted music and then using peer-to-peer software, allowing users to freely share that music. It also appears that movies are also being currently shared in the same way. Such sharing and downloading without permission of the copyright owner is a clear violation of the exclusive rights of the copyright holder as established by the U. S. Copyright Act. Such activity should not be occurring. From articles appearing in the press it is clear that much of the activity is being done by teen and pre-teen children using family computers without the knowledge of their parents. That is no defense. I am sure the public understands that if one infringes a copyright, he/she is subject to an award by the court of statutory damages of up to $150,000 and in addition payment of the copyright holder's attorneys fees. Multiply that by the multiple infringements in the hundreds and sometimes thousands, and the liability becomes astronomical. This is a move by the recording industry to try and get the attention of the public to stop the unlawful taking of the copyrighted property. It is unfortunate that the industry felt it necessary to go to such extremes, but it is understandable. Maybe if we were responsible individuals and had done a better job of educating our kids and the public generally to make it clear that downloading the copyrighted music is just as wrong as stealing a CD at the music store, this would not have occurred. Hopefully this move by the recording industry will educate the public. It is also our hope that the recording industry will recognize that the rampant copyright infringement is a wake up call to the industry that the consuming public wants to be able to download from the internet and that the industry needs to develop a model that will allow this for a reasonable fee per song. Such a model would serve the purpose of providing the public what it wants in an authorized fashion and providing an income stream to the music industry.

For more information on Intellectual Property Legal Issues please contact
Billy Robbins at 213.892.9200 or brobbins@fulbright.com

TECHNOLINK ASSOCIATION MEMBERS MAKING THE NEWS

New Fair Isaac Update… “Do You Know Your Credit Score?”…
Larry S. Bloomer, Vice President, Coldwell Banker Commercial WESTMAC

Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) has recently announced the release of a new credit scoring product that will make it much easier for consumers to access all three of their credit scores at one time. Due to pressure from consumer groups, the mortgage industry, and Congress, FICO began to make credit scores available to consumers on their web site (www.myfico.com). By going online, consumers can quickly obtain their scores for a reasonable cost.

Consumers should know that the three major national credit-reporting agencies are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Part of the problem is that, because there are three separate reporting agencies, consumers can actually end up with three different scores. Because credit reporting in the United States is strictly voluntary, some local or regional creditors may report to only one or two of these agencies. This may leave one or two of these credit repositories with different information than the others, and thus, two different credit scores. National lenders and creditors usually report to all three agencies. According to research by the Consumer Federation of America and the National Credit Reporting Association, one in three American consumers will have a variation of 50 points, or more, in their high-to-low scores between the three agencies and may not even know it.

Fair Isaac says this will be the first time consumers can view all three of their credit scores just as lenders do. The scores will be individually calculated and delivered online with an underlying report and analysis by Fair Isaac for each of the scores, including suggestions on how to improve them. Recently, Fair Isaac has been encouraging consumers to regularly check all three of their FICO scores suggesting that an additional benefit to consumers watching their scores is the potential of detecting identity theft in its early stages.

The interest rate a borrower gets on a mortgage loan will be, to a degree, based upon their individual credit score. Obviously, borrowers want the highest possible score. FICO scores range between 300 and 850. Lenders may choose what interest rate they want to offer with any given score level. In general, borrowers with scores of 720, or above, should be approved easily, and usually with very good to excellent rates. Scores of 650 to 720 should also be easily approved, but are likely to get a higher rate. The interest rates could be different for each score, thus costing the borrower thousands of dollars. This is why consumers should check their scores and correct any variations or errors on at least a yearly basis. The more you understand the details and terminology of mortgage finance issues, and stay current with your personal credit picture, the better equipped you will be when considering loan options.

For more information on commercial real estate matters please contact Larry Bloomer at 310.478.7700 or bloomer@WESTMAC.COM Mr. Bloomer is Vice President, Coldwell Banker Commercial WESTMAC, is a retail investment and leasing specialist. Mr. Bloomer gathered the above information from Richard Miller, AmeriCorp Funding, a mortgage broker specializing in commercial and home loans.

UCLA NANOSYSTEMS SEMINAR SERIES
ÊLecture Hall CS50Ê Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m.

For more information and registration please contact: Wendy Nishikawa at 310.267.4838 or nishikawa@cnsi.ucla.edu

Maintaining California's Business Leadership Position

You've seen the headlines: "California in Crisis; "State of Siege; "California Chaos." While these might sell newspapers, they don't help you understand the difficult challenges and still-plentiful opportunities facing this complex state.Ê This year, with the current political upheaval over the Recall and major questions facing the future of California, the State of the State Conference has taken on special significance. Among the issues we'll tackle: the budget deficits, the health-care system, the business climate, energy and international trade.

For more information contact (310) 570-4605 or conferences@milkeninstitute.org

TECHNOLINK ASSOCIATION

Presents

TREND WATCH SERIES: INDUSTRY FORECAST 2004

"A Thought Provoking Roundtable Forum of Industry Leaders Sharing in Discussion the Impact of the California Recall, Soft Economy and Global Growth have had on the Way We Practice Business Today"

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17th 2003 Omni HotelÊ " Los Angeles Registration 11:30 a.m. á 12 Noon Lunch Talks begin promptly at 12:15 p.m.

For more information or registration please contact:

Forte Designs at 949.443.4026 or

Êfdesigns@intersonnet.com