The great battleground of the digital age is no doubt the field of copyright and intellectual property as it relates to creative endeavor. The computer, embodying the digital age, is designed to do just two things, Copy and Distribute. So right from the outset there is an unavoidable and inherent conflict when such a ubiquitous technology with these sole purposes collides head on with an established order of pre-digital copyright law that holds Copying and Distribution as the two forbidden acts.
What is needed, and is indeed unavoidable, is a profound paradigm shift in thinking and culture as it pertains to creativity and ownership in the digital age and championing this fight is Lawrence Lessig. Here in this articulate and powerfully considered presentation at TED, Lessig challenges the sacred cows of copyright. It's a presentation that no creator can afford to ignore.
"Larry Lessig gets TEDsters to their feet, whooping and whistling, for this elegant presentation of ?three stories and an argument.? The Net?s most adored lawyer brings together John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights, and the ?ASCAP cartel? to build a case for creative freedom. He pins down the key shortcomings of our dusty, pre-digital intellectual property laws, and reveals how bad laws beget bad code. "
Absolutely right that the copyright laws have failed to keep up with the times--but ultimately, no matter how the laws are written, it all boils down to the same thing—the creator’s ability to protect his or her copyright to their creative works rests not on the law but on their ability to pay for legal representation. There’s a sad example of this in my recent article, available here: http://www.theinternetwizards.com/A-copyrightconfusion.htm
Posted by Bonnie Boots-The Internet Wizards Publisher on December 03, 2007 at 09:21 AM EST #