Yep. It's another bunch of people with the common interest of lobbying the government to collectively grant them a monopoly on something, at the expense of the American public.
I hear they want Homeland Security to enforce the new copyright laws.I believe there is a chapter in law professor Jessica Littman's excellent book "Digital Copyright" titled "Lawyers set out to conquer cyberspace". Maybe they will.
Or maybe they will simply manage to discredit all IP law such that it is widely scorned and ignored, much as the old 55 mph speed limit.
- Tom Craig Birkmaier wrote:
======================== PROGRESSTo promote the progress of science and creativity, as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution, by upholding and strengthening copyright law and preventing its diminishment.===================== Ya gotta love it.A new lobbying group has been formed to "promote the benefits and importance of copyright in the face of the increasing ease of digital copying of movies, music and TV shows."As if the media conglomerates do not already have enough influence in Washington...The original term for copyright, established by Congress more than 200 years ago, was 14 years after application by the author; the author could ask for a 14 year extension if still living at the end of the original copyright period.I wonder what they really mean by "PROGRESS?"In 1998 the term for copyright was extended to 70 years after the death of the author - 95 years after the date of creation by a corporation. Mickey Mouse is now protected until 2023.Seems to me that the entire concept behind copyrights has already been diminished beyond recognition. And there is certainly no lack of effort in terms of upholding the existing laws. It's full time employment for a growing number of lawyers in Hollywood and Washington.The only good news is that there is a growing legion of people who are fighting back. As Kon recently noted, AACs is already in shambles. And as I posted yesterday. the music industry seems headed down the path to eliminate DRM by the end of the year.======================= CULTURAL ENRICHMENTTo enrich our culture through incentives to create and disseminate new and innovative creative works to citizens.========================During the same period of time that the media conglomerates have been "enriching our culture" - i.e. the last 50+ years - the copyright laws have been updated 11 times.I'm not sure how much more enrichment we can stand... Regards Craighttp://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6442973.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228Copyright Alliance Launches By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/17/2007 11:04:00 AMUnions, media companies, recording and software associations, and others have banded together to form The Copyright Alliance .The group, which officially launched in Washington Thursday, wants to promote the benefits and importance of copyright in the face of the increasing ease of digital copying of movies, music and TV shows.The alliance-- which includes Disney, NBC Universal, News Corp., Time Warner, and Viacom-- is headed by Patrick Ross. Ross had been a senior fellow at the free market think tank, The Progress and Freedom Foundation.The 29-member alliance offered the following founding principles at a Capitol Hill press conference that had the blessing of a number of legislators, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Courts and intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Hoard Berman (D-Calif.)."By upholding and strengthening copyright law through the education and advocacy work of the Copyright Alliance," said Terrie Bjorklund, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists associate general counsel in announcing the union's participation, [our] members, including sound recording artists, broadcasters, and performers, will be enabled and empowered to create new works that enrich American culture and inform our citizens."The alliance presented those legislators with the following founding principles:CULTURAL ENRICHMENTTo enrich our culture through incentives to create and disseminate new and innovative creative works to citizens.PROGRESSTo promote the progress of science and creativity, as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution, by upholding and strengthening copyright law and preventing its diminishment.EDUCATIONTo advance educational programs that teach the value of strong copyright and its vital role in fostering creative expression, driving economic growth, and enriching the lives of our citizens.ENFORCEMENTTo protect the incentive to create by supporting effective civil and criminal enforcement of copyright laws domestically and internationally.DISSEMINATIONTo defend the rights of creators to control their property, understanding the necessary balance of those rights with the public good.GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTTo encourage the inclusion of copyright protections in bilateral, regional, and multilateral agreements to protect creators and foster global development.FREE EXPRESSIONTo protect the rights of creators to express themselves freely under the principles established in the First Amendment, with copyright as an "engine of free expression."---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
-- Tom Barry trbarry@xxxxxxxxxxx ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
