Our founding fathers said 14 years is fine. I agree. Long copyrights tend to make creative people less creative because it allows them to rest on their laurels and live off the royalties of their earlier works. If copyrights were shorter they may need to keep creating to maintain their lifestyle.
The proof of this is in the fashion industry where there are no copyrights. Designers must constantly create new lines to maintain their income.
If we must have copyrights they should not be one size fits all. Not all works have the same life-cycle. For instance a popular novel may have a life-cycle for decades or even centuries while others like news reports have a very short life cycle. Popular works may live to outdo their copyrights but that is actually a rarity. Most works never survive to become public domain which means they are lost forever.
So now someone can copyright a scene and then no one can take a photo of that scene again? What about portraits? What about your kid standing by Mickey Mouse? What about two people taking a photo of the same event at the same time from similar vantage points? This is ridiculous.
Back in 2000 Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This was pre Napster. There was a provision in the DMCA called Safe Harbors that would shield providers from lawsuits if they registered with the copyright office and removed any material that copyright holders complained about. This provision was hotly contested by Hollywood, the media, newspapers and other content creators but the provision made it in just barely as a compromise. How important was that provision? If it had not passed it would have killed the Internet as we know it in its infancy. There would be no Facebook, Google, Youtube, blogs, Twitter, Flickr or any sites that allow user generated content.
Since then Hollywood, the music industry, and the media have vowed to either eliminate Safe Harbors completely or render it meaningless. Bills such as SOPA and PIPA are designed to do just that. Now we have ACTA and IPP and other international agreements that are designed to do the same thing without any input from the public, effected industries, or civil liberties groups and even sidestep Congress and government bodies around the world.
The gist of the matter is if we lose Safe Harbors we have lost the Internet.
The Polish Government calls ACTA protests "Blackmail". Chris Dodd of the MPAA called SOPA protests, "An abuse of power". I call it democracy in action.
President Obama said about SOPA "While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response,” said the note, “we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."
These words ring hollow when he signed ACTA when no one was paying much attention to copyright issues. Accept for Techdirt of course.
Dodd knows about abuses of power since he accepted a sweetheart deal from Countrywide at a time he had oversight over them as a Senate Committee chairman. Countrywide went bankrupt in the Housing and Banking crash. A crash Dodd played a huge role in.
Theaters do not compete with pirated copies of movies because they are completely different products. People who want to see a movie in a threater do so for the full experience. The big screen, the sound, the social aspects etc. People who want to watch a movie in a theater are not going to change their minds because it is available on the Internet or even if it is available on video.
If the movie industry really cared about theaters they would not be taking up to 95% of the box office receipts. Also if they wanted to help the theaters they would allow the theaters to sell copies of the movie during the showing when movies goers would most likely buy them.
Hollywood said Megaupload cost them 500 million a year in lost revenues. OK next year I want to see where they are 500 million richer now that Megaupload is gone. the fact is there will be no revenue boost to Hollywood what-so-ever. Hollywood is chasing after phantom dollars and spending real dollars doing it.
Hollywood spent an estimated 100 million supporting SOPA and PIPA. The money they spent chasing phantom dollars and lobbying could have been used to retool their business models to bring them into the 21st century.
Chris Dodd is no stranger to quid pro quo arrangement’s. He received a sweetheart deal from Countrywide while he was chairman of the commitee overseeing them. Countrywide as you know was sunk during the banking and Housing crashes. A crash Chris Dodd helped bring about.
People who work for Hollywood who do not support SOPA/PIPA may find themselves blacklisted. Hollywood moguls are saying they will now withhold donations to Obama for not supporting Internet censorship.
" The goal of protecting intellectual property from digital theft is the right one, but the overreaching measure Sen. Reid is pushing swiftly through Congress will chill Internet innovation, economic progress and job growth. It's a product of copyright extremists pouring money -- more than $91 million in 2011, more than they've ever spent before -- into influencing the legislative process."
Well I'm glad they are coming to the table on this but his statement in light of Righthaven is highly hypocritical. The same statement can be said about themselves and Sherman Frederick.
Just like we saw with the near total news blackout of the entire Righthaven affair, the so called main stream media will not report negative stories that effect their industry.
If Congressman Lamar Smith is so convinced that SOPA will not be abused and all the warnings that experts are giving is all hyperbole then he should agree to immediately resign his Congressional seat if any of the warnings actually occur.
Senator Hatch is Vulnerable at Utah GOP Convention
I plan on being a delegate to the Utah Republican Party convention that will decide who are candidates are for the Republican ticket. I will be talking directly with Senator Hatch and let him know that supporting PIPA will severely complicate his nomination. Last Convention we ousted Senator Bennett who was a long standing Senator who many believed had completely lost touch with his constituents. Senator Hatch has to be worried that the same thing could happen to him. Supporting PIPA will make that more likely.
Being a day late or not showing up at all is the norm with Righthaven not the exception. They always have the same lame excuses. Just like they abused copyright law they are now abusing the deference that Judges tend to give lawyers.
If they do not show up again someone may want to check to make sure Steve and "Drizzle" Gibson have not skipped town or the country.
On the post: Another Interesting White House Petition: Reduce The Term Of Copyright
The proof of this is in the fashion industry where there are no copyrights. Designers must constantly create new lines to maintain their income.
On the post: Another Interesting White House Petition: Reduce The Term Of Copyright
Re: Re:
On the post: Another Interesting White House Petition: Reduce The Term Of Copyright
On the post: UK Court Says You Can Copyright The Basic Idea Of A Photograph
On the post: UK Court Says You Can Copyright The Basic Idea Of A Photograph
On the post: UK Court Says You Can Copyright The Basic Idea Of A Photograph
On the post: European Parliament Member Marietje Schaake Explains How Europeans Can Stop ACTA
Without Safe Harbors there is no Internet
Since then Hollywood, the music industry, and the media have vowed to either eliminate Safe Harbors completely or render it meaningless. Bills such as SOPA and PIPA are designed to do just that. Now we have ACTA and IPP and other international agreements that are designed to do the same thing without any input from the public, effected industries, or civil liberties groups and even sidestep Congress and government bodies around the world.
The gist of the matter is if we lose Safe Harbors we have lost the Internet.
On the post: Public Interest Groups Speak Out About Next Week's Secret Meeting In Hollywood To Negotiate TPP (Think International SOPA)
On the post: People In Poland Come Out To Protest ACTA In Large Numbers; Polish Gov't Calls It 'Blackmail'
Democracy in Action
On the post: People In Poland Come Out To Protest ACTA In Large Numbers; Polish Gov't Calls It 'Blackmail'
These words ring hollow when he signed ACTA when no one was paying much attention to copyright issues. Accept for Techdirt of course.
On the post: Jimmy Wales Says Chris Dodd Should Be Fired
On the post: Movie Theaters' Top Lobbyist Resorts To Making Up Facts Concerning SOPA/PIPA
If the movie industry really cared about theaters they would not be taking up to 95% of the box office receipts. Also if they wanted to help the theaters they would allow the theaters to sell copies of the movie during the showing when movies goers would most likely buy them.
On the post: Jonathan Coulton Destroys The Rationale Behind The Megaupload Seizure With A Single Tweet; Follows Up With Epic Blog Post
Hollywood's pursuit of phantom dollars.
Hollywood spent an estimated 100 million supporting SOPA and PIPA. The money they spent chasing phantom dollars and lobbying could have been used to retool their business models to bring them into the 21st century.
On the post: Public Petitions The White House To Investigate Chris Dodd & The MPAA For Possible Bribery
No Stranger to Quid Pro Quo
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/washington/18dodd.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&page wanted=print&oref=slogin
On the post: Hollywood Film Editor Gives Detailed Explanation For Why Hollywood Shouldn't Support SOPA/PIPA
http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/exclusive-hollywood-moguls-stopping-obama-donations-b ecause-of-administrations-piracy-stand/
On the post: Las Vegas Review-Journal Publishes CEA OpEd Calling Out Senator Harry Reid Killing Innovation By Supporting PIPA
Well I'm glad they are coming to the table on this but his statement in light of Righthaven is highly hypocritical. The same statement can be said about themselves and Sherman Frederick.
On the post: Study Confirms: News Networks Owned By SOPA Supporters... Are Ignoring SOPA/PIPA
Just Like the Righthaven News Black-Out
On the post: Jon Lawrence's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week
On the post: Challenger To Senator Orrin Hatch, Pete Ashdown, Also Against SOPA
Senator Hatch is Vulnerable at Utah GOP Convention
On the post: Righthaven Fails To Show Up In Court As Ordered... When Confronted Says It Got Confused Over The Date
If they do not show up again someone may want to check to make sure Steve and "Drizzle" Gibson have not skipped town or the country.
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