Content Creators Seek FTC Help From Dominant Platform 'Abuses'

The Content Creators Coalition has told the Federal Trade Commission that its members need government protection from big edge providers they say are abusing their dominant positions on the Web.  That came in a filing with the FTC, which is launching a broad review of its competition and consumer protection regime. It also comes as the agency is newly charged with overseeing network neutrality after the Federal Communications Commission deeded it oversight in the Restoring Internet Freedom Order.

The coalition represents musicians, and its big beef is what it says are those edge providers' "anti-competitive and unfair practices of dominant digital platforms," particularly failing to protect their content from being pirated and widely circulated online. "While we appreciate the tremendous achievements of digital platforms in revolutionizing access to content and facilitating interaction among users online, their lack of responsible governance has created an environment in which the creators of digital content are perpetually shortchanged, while the platforms profit handsomely from their works," C3 told the FTC.