Apex Music Representative Body IMI Opposes Meta's Proposal for Interoperability Among Platforms While Meta states that interoperability among all elements may not be needed, it still shares that Metaverse may become fragmented and broken into silos
By Paromita Gupta •
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The apex body representing music recording players in the country, the Indian Music Industry, have raised its concerns about Meta's proposal to make Metaverse interoperable.
"Interoperability of systems on the Metaverse could raise the potential concern of online piracy considering the nature of interoperability being such that it enables users to access and share content across multiple services in the connected metaverse. In an interoperable environment, different platforms may have varying levels of copyright enforcement measures and policies. This lack of standardized practices can lead to inconsistencies in addressing online music piracy, creating loopholes that pirates can exploit in order to evade liability," said the apex body, arguing the proposal.
In January 2024, Meta submitted its response to Chapter 4 of TRAI's Consultation Paper on Digital Transformation through 5G Ecosystem, where it suggested: "the metaverse should be developed collaboratively, and with interoperability in mind, mirroring the kind of open internet protocols we see in place today that empower people to seamlessly navigate and travel between multiple online experiences."
IMI shared that interoperability can complicate licensing agreements and royalties receivable by music rightsholders from music streaming services, "Different platforms may have distinct licensing terms and revenue-sharing models, leading to disputes and uncertainties in compensating artists and rights holders. Specifically on user-generated platforms and platforms enabled on the Metaverse itself, - cross-sharing of copyrighted material by users can lead to potential copyright concerns."
While Meta states that interoperability among all elements may not be needed, it still shares "but without agreement that interoperability matters to connect the metaverse together where it makes sense to do, the metaverse may become fragmented and broken into silos, each impenetrable from the other."
