*Digital TV broadcast flag. In what is probably the fastest-moving copyright initiative, a draft bill from Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) and a rule making under way at the FCC this fall would require the next generation of digital television products to build in FCC-approved copy protections. But will reasonable consumer expectations about copying broadcasts and watching them later or in a different place be supported? Will existing products such as VCRs work with the new televisions?

*Protecting "fair use." A set of bills from Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) would seek to allow some kinds of circumvention or legal copying, or affirmatively protect fair use. But content owners have raised legitimate questions about the scope and effect of these measures, and concerns about whether they would eviscerate their copyright protection technologies must be addressed.

*Peer-to-peer file sharing. The bill from Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) is designed to permit copyright holders to take steps against those who share their material. But if a copyright holder attacks a home computer in an effort to stop suspected file sharing, will the home user even know what is happening
and have a right to respond if there is some mistake?

*Anti-counterfeiting measures. A relatively noncontroversial bill to penalize trafficking in illicit authentication devices, like the hologram seals on software or CDs, has been expanded to include nonphysical protections like digital watermarks. But credible critiques suggest the bill could make federal felons out
of millions who might share a watermarked digital file, or of the Internet service providers and other providers whose networks are used for such sharing. The time has come for the public to learn and understand what all of this means and what the potential ramifications are BEFORE WE ARE STUCK WITH THEM.