[News]
News Corp.: Our strategy is working!

A News Corp. press release on the CBDTPA and BPDG just came out on Declan McCullagh's Politech mailing list. The release praises almost everything we've criticized recently, but, more significantly, it lends a great deal of credibility to the idea that the CBDTPA was introduced solely for its effects in terrorem: in other words, to encourage the electronics industries to negotiate about the broadcast flag issue -- at lawyerpoint.

The release refers to the broadcast flag as a "voluntary standard"; I invite Mr. Chernin to commit himself that it should remain so. Otherwise, I encourage him to use a more accurate term like "pending legislative mandate".

The full text of the News Corp. press release is included below.

For Immediate Release

News Corporation Hails Positive Steps Towards Copyright Consensus

Applauds Introduction of Legislation, Intel AOL-TW Agreement, and ATSC Vote

__________________

Los Angeles, CA, April 10, 2002 - News Corporation today hailed recent progress toward solving the digital piracy problem and urged all interested parties to build on the momentum.

News Corporation expressed hope that the introduction of the copyright legislation, "The Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act of 2002", the passage of the ATSC standard and the positive steps taken by Intel and others in the information technology and consumer electronics industries will lead to a cross-industry consensus on copyright protection solutions.

Peter Chernin, President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation, said: "The hearings held in the Senate and the introduction of the Hollings legislation have already helped get the affected industries to work together to solve the digital piracy dilemma. We have seen a greater willingness from all sides to not only sit down and discuss the problem, but to take the necessary actions to solve it. That effort must be encouraged."

Last Tuesday the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) voted affirmatively on News Corporation's proposal to label DTV broadcasts with the "broadcast flag." This new voluntary standard is an important first step in enabling digital broadcasters to prevent unauthorized redistribution of their content on the Internet. ATSC is an international, non-profit membership organization developing voluntary standards for all advanced television systems (http://atsc.org).

Mr. Chernin also applauded the recent Joint Statement of Principles agreement between AOL-TW and Intel on copyright protection. "Intel's support of the Joint Statement took real leadership, courage and understanding of the problems we face in combating the theft of our content in the digital age," Mr. Chernin said. "That agreement addresses the same issues as those outlined in my recent testimony to Congress. They are issues that need to be solved in a collaborative manner. News Corporation looks forward to working with Intel and others to solve the problem of digital piracy as quickly as possible."

The News Corporation Limited (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP; LSE: NEWCP) is one of the world's largest media companies with total assets as of December 31, 2001 of approximately US$47 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$14 billion. News Corporation's diversified global operations in the United States, Canada, continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America and the Pacific Basin include the production and distribution of motion pictures and television programming; television, satellite and cable broadcasting; the publication of newspapers, magazines and books; the production and distribution of promotional and advertising products and services; the development of digital broadcasting; the development of conditional access and subscriber management systems; and the creation and distribution of popular on-line programming.