copyright

S S Tempest sstempest at lycos.com
Tue Aug 22 15:37:05 EDT 2000


 I'm back, with further thoughts on the copyright debate.

The more I learn about the subject, the more I think that too many 
people are asking the wrong question entirely. Rather than simply 
"Does the use of this technology violate copyright law?" the debate 
should ask, "How can we adapt copyright law to protect people, given 
the development of these new technologies?"

The more I think about it, the more important I think it is that 
artists retain the rights to their own work, with the ability to 
license them to others and to profit from them. But the laws that 
govern how this licensing works, and what constitutes fair use, 
are not set in stone. Congress -- our own elected officials -- regularly adds to and adapts them. 

There's a strong lobby by the recording and publishing industry 
to have these laws shaped to their advantages. So it's really important 
for us, as the audience for music and art and writing, to make sure 
the laws that passed are in our best interest and in the interest 
of the artists whose work we enjoy. I don't think that's going to 
happen if we let big corporations determine the grounds of the debate.

I'd love to hear more thoughts on the subject. 

Here are some links:

Text of the U.S. Copyright law
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/title17/

Charles C. Mann's article in The Atlantic, "The Heavenly Jukebox...from 
Hell"
http://www.theatlantic.com/cgi-bin/o/issues/2000/09/mann.htm

Future of Music, an organization that tries to protect the interests of both musicians and fans 
(incidentally, a performance by founder Jenny Toomey's band Liquorice 
was one of the best concerts I have ever attended)
http://www.futureofmusic.org

Snow T.




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