Copyright in the Balance: LJ Talks with Lawrence Lessig
I really don't like the idea of bringing the handgun debate into the copyright devate, even if the analogy is a good one. In this interview Lessig argues, "clearly there are bad uses of the handgun. But for some reason we don't entirely ban the use of the handgun. If we don't ban technologies that kill people, I don't think we should ban technology that could be used for lots of completely legitimate purposes." OK, sure, but what if you think handguns should be banned. More...

Copyright as Cudgel

Good article that has as its essential message the thesis that academics have either been sleeping or backing the wrong side when it comes to the copyright debate. More...

The Great Giveaway

In what I think may be the beginning of a phenomenon - they've been overwhelmed by the response and are promising future developments - New Scientist releases an article on the concept of "copyleft" for scientific articles. More...

Copyright Concerns Lead the Year's Big Fusses and Flaps
Survey article describing the copyright wars of the last year, a war that is mostly an exercise in futility as " those who steal creativity for a living continued their trade largely unchecked." More...

Conductors Pose First Challenge to Copyright Law
I ask you: is this the sort of future you want to live in? "The URAA pushed the costs for sheet music for works by such composers as Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev from less than $100 to at least $1,000 -- and this only to rent the music. More...

Concerts to Raise Money for Battle Against Record Companies
Major publishers and record labels - such as the RIAA - present themselves as fighting for the rights of creative artists. So why are some big name acts - including Elton John, No Doubt, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, Weezer, Dixie Chicks, Ozzy Osbourne and the Eagles - staging a series of five benefit concerts to fund a fight against the recording industry? Because artists, they say, are not getting their share of the royalties. More...

Modern copyright law can't keep pace with thinking machines
Andrew Tarantola, Engadget, 2017/12/14
Copyright meets artificial intelligence. Who owns the product when one part is responsible for the digital input or data used by an AI, while another cerated the AI. More...