Here we'll explore the nexus of legal rulings, Capitol Hill
policy-making, technical standards development, and technological
innovation that creates -- and will recreate -- the networked world as we
know it. Among the topics we'll touch on: intellectual property
conflicts, technical architecture and innovation, the evolution of
copyright, private vs. public interests in Net policy-making, lobbying
and the law, and more.
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this weblog are those of the authors and not of their respective institutions.
Why is this funny? Well, the reports (plural, three of them) that had to be withdrawn were supposed to be giving the Ottawa government advice on how to update Canadian copyright laws. So, yes, the Board copied its copyright reports. But wait, it gets better. Who did they copy from? Apparently, they copied from a Cartel lobby group, the International Intellectual Property Alliance.
It's entirely possible that Canada's laws could use an update. And it's further possible that the Conference Board has some good ideas for updates. But this kind of intellectual black eye isn't helping anything other than my schadenfreude quotient. Maybe this will serve as an object lesson for them.
And by "free" we mean both "Creative Commons licensed for free use" and "free of Cartel propaganda." Nice combo. Here are some excerpts from the press release they sent:
Last week, the Copyright Alliance Education Foundation -- a nonprofit mouthpiece for the entertainment and software industries -- unveiled plans to spread its protectionist ideas to the nation's schools and libraries through the distribution of a curriculum titled "Think First, Copy Later." "Think First, Copy Later" and other intimidating educational materials were produced by the MPAA, RIAA, Business Software Alliance, and other content holders to scare students into believing that making copies is wrong.
Apparently "Just Say No" is still taken. Bummer.
[C]reators and innovators of tomorrow don't need more intimidation. What they need is solid, accurate information that will help them make smart choices about how to use new technologies. That's why EFF is launching the free, Creative Commons-licensed "Teaching Copyright" curriculum and website to help educators explore copyright issues in their classrooms. These materials encourage students to discover their legal rights and responsibilities — including how to make full and fair use of technology that is revolutionizing learning and the exchange of information.
The Hype Machine - an aggregator for blog discussions about music. Mostly it's a "play in browser" type experience but they link back to the original blog entries, which often have download links. In addition there are sometimes links for purchasing things you hear from iTunes or Amazon. I've been feeding my mash-up head seriously today. I'm on there as drwex.
No, I'm not talking about modern payola practices in radio again. I haven't bothered to keep up with it in the past few years but I'm convinced that it still goes on.
The National Association of Broadcasters is out in force against this, calling it a "performance tax." They're in a tight spot already, given that radio advertising has taken a nosedive comparable to advertising in newspapers. It's not helping the Cartel's case that at least 50% of the new fees will go to improving their corporate bottom lines and not to artists at all. The NAB hasn't hesitated to point out how the labels have screwed artists in the past, either.
Expect a major floor fight and heavy lobbying by both sides on this one. Given the current state of the US economy I don't see how the broadcasters can afford to lose this one.
I suppose it would be interesting to hear the Cartel explain why, exactly, a program that maintains the DVD's inherent anti-copy features is a bad thing, other than "we didn't design it." But beyond abstract fancy I doubt this will amount to much of anything.
I don't know anything other than what I've read on the Web about this Interstitial Arts Foundation - anyone have any contact or experience with them?
My first response is that, no, interstitial doesn't really describe what I was after - I'm looking for something that is more broad-brush and definitive of new forms, not something trying to fit itself into the spaces between existing forms. Still, this might be an interesting event. If you go, please send me a trip report.
