Techdirt Reading List: How To Fix Copyright

from the copyright-reform-time dept

Thu, Apr 28th 2016 12:39pm — Mike Masnick

We're back again with another in our weekly reading list posts of books we think our community will find interesting and thought provoking. Once again, buying the book via the Amazon links in this story also helps support Techdirt.

In last week's Reading List post, we highlighted William Patry's Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars, in which he laid out a strong case for just how badly the debate on copyright has been warped by legacy industry forces creating bogus analogies. One of the complaints some leveled at that book was that it only discussed the problems, rather than offering any solutions. Of course, that wasn't the point of the book.

Nevertheless, Patry was then convinced to write a follow up book How to Fix Copyright, in order to respond to those critics (most of whom will never be satisfied). Once again, the book is an excellent read. It is not -- as some believed -- an entire book dedicated to discussing possible solutions. Instead, it again spends a lot of time making sure people really understand how messed up copyright law has become, and then towards the end proposes a few, relatively simple, solutions (which, frankly, may not go far enough). It talks about things like bringing back formalities (i.e., make copyright opt-in again) and shortening copyright terms.

Since it appears that Congress is really moving forward with copyright reform, it's definitely worth reading Patry's book again, and seeing if Congress goes anywhere near implementing his suggestions. My guess: not a chance.

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Filed Under: copyright, reading list, techdirt reading list, william patry

8 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 28 Apr 2016 @ 12:49pm

With all the money flowing into congress over copyright, I'd say your 'not a chance' comment is dead center on any changes in favor of the public.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Apr 2016 @ 12:57pm

from the ran-out-of-ideas dept
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Apr 2016 @ 12:58pm

the reason copyright is so messed up lies squarely at the feet of those in Congress! not only did they fuck things up for everyone except the legacy industries, they were well paid for doing so and ensured that there was no recourse when those industries did the inevitable and abused copyright! this was from day 1 and is 2nd only to ensuring that the industries have politicians in their pockets by making sure if they are caught abusing, they have no punishment! how the hell those in Congress that were under orders to bring this in actually got enough to agree is nothing short of amazing! what a shame they never thought for 1 second about how copyright would be abused or the effects of what they did would have on the very people who they were supposed to be looking after, ie, the public!! USA politics is called the most corrupt on the planet. whether that is true i dont know, but it sure as hell seems to deserve that title over it's handling of copyright and what was given to the entertainment industries! it is definitely time for serious reform. the first step is to prise all those politicians out of the industries bank vault. get that done then maybe some real changes can be done!!
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Apr 2016 @ 1:27pm

Don't fix it. Abolish it.
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Apr 2016 @ 1:55pm
  
  Re:
  I tend to think this the answer to abuse as well. Let's return to the days of yesteryear, when the US did not have a copyright policy. Typically writers would translate foreign publications, republish them in the US, and then the government would ignore all claims of copyright abuse or infringement.
  
  As far as the written word, this nation started out as a piracy nation.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 28 Apr 2016 @ 8:43pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Pretty much. Any attempt to "fix" copyright inevitably devolves into Mickey Mouse extensions.
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Kronomex, 28 Apr 2016 @ 2:58pm

On side note about copyright -

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/productivity-commission-calls-for-free-import- of-books-copyright-shakeup-20160428-goh806.html

This is all well and good (very good idea actually) but with the current gummint in power all the corporations involved will just use their lobbyists and donation power and it will fall in a great big hole never to appear again. We have one of the best gummints corporations can buy.
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Black Art (profile), 28 Apr 2016 @ 3:56pm

The only way to fix copyright is bolt cutters and hot tar.
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