The leading trade associations for the music and technology industries, which have been at loggerheads over consumers downloading songs on the Internet, have negotiated a compromise they contend will protect copyrights on movies and music without new government involvement.
"How companies satisfy consumer expectations is a business decision that should be driven by the dynamics of the marketplace and should not be legislated and regulated," the agreement said, according to one person who read parts of it to The Associated Press.
These companies, including Microsoft Corp., IBM, Intel Corp. and Dell Computer Corp., also will announce support for aggressive enforcement against digital pirates.
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