Managing IP Magazine Recognizes That Those Who Are Critical Of Intellectual Property Are Important To The Conversation

from the nice-of-them dept

One of the things that we've noticed in the various debates over intellectual property is this rush by those who believe the answer is to increase protectionism and enforcement to cut those who are critics of the current IP regime out of the debate. It's why you see things like ASCAP claiming that Creative Commons is about undermining artists (what?!?). It's why you see Joe Biden hold an "IP Summit" and claim that "all the stakeholders" are present, when it only includes reps from the legacy gatekeepers.

So I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when Managing IP magazine, which, obviously tends to focus on the side of the industry that likes intellectual property, put a bunch of critics of the system in its list of "top 50" voices in intellectual property (article is paywalled, unfortunately). On the list are such folks at Fred von Lohmann, Cory Doctorow and Nick Bertke (better known as the awesome mashup artist, Pogo). And, yes, somehow I got included on the list as well, which was a nice surprise. There are also some of the best bloggers in the intellectual property world on the list, including Jeremy from IPKat, the SpicyIP guys, Martin Schwimmer for his wonderful trademark blog, and Dennis Crouch for Patently-O, the definitive source on all things patent-related.

Of course, the list also includes folks like Chris "I'll never become a lobbyist" Dodd, for his new job running the lobbying organization MPAA, as well as ICE director John Morton, who uses being on the list to remind everyone that he's going to keep seizing websites because the law says he can.

Still, it really is nice to see that at least some in the "IP space" recognize that critical voices are also important to the debate.

Filed Under: managing ip