Howard Knopf has penned an op-ed that appears in this week's Hill Times. The article highlights the dangers of the current path of copyright reform and calls for creation of a judge-led copyright commission.
Knopf Calls for Copyright Commission
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Copyright Abolitionist
If you have polarisation of the publishers and the public, then you probably
need to polarise the applicable restraints vs liberties that each would wish
to exert/enjoy.
Why not give the IP maximalists precisely what they want, and the
self-publishing free culturaliss what they want – in the same copyright
legislation?
Given the lobbying power you can either do this or simply let a more
draconian copyright get through by default.
So, may I suggest piggybacking some libertarian \’compromises\’ on the back of
some draconian copyright reinforcement?
The libertarians know that copright can\’t survive digital diffusion anyway,
so there\’s nothing really to worry about in giving the would be Canutes of
the cartel any greater control over the tide.
We need to ensure that artists/publishers express a choice in deciding
between draconian punishment against members of the public who exercise
their liberty, or liberation of their fellow men.
So, I propose a rough draft of the sort of copyright legislation that in
being more draconian is appealing to lobbyists, but in being more liberal by
default prevents a self-publishing artist abdicating themselves from the
ethics of suspending the public\’s liberty.
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