DAT Accord Announced: The Recording Industry Assn....

DAT Accord Announced: The Recording Industry Assn. of America announced that the record and electronics industries have reached a compromise agreement on the controversial issue of digital audio tape that “recognizes the basic interests of consumers and mutual interdependence of these industries.” The agreement involves the endorsement by both sides of a “serial copy management system” to be placed in all DAT recorders. The device will allow “first-generation” digital copies to be made from compact discs, DAT cassettes and digital broadcasts, but not “second-generation” copies of the copies. “The proposal for a technical restriction on unlimited DAT copying establishes an important precedent for the protection of intellectual property,” the RIAA said.