[Year 12 IPM] Free Trade & Copyright

[Bill Kerr]

Donna,
thanks for continuing to provide links to important and interesting articles 
about copyright
Graeme Philipson is more extreme than Lawrence Lessig, 
http://www.lessig.org/
Philipson advocates no copyright, that it has outlived it's usefulness
Lessig advocates a balance b/w the protection of the rights of the creator 
and the needs of new creators down the track being able to offer new 
interpretations of existing materials
However, both agree that the situation that has developed in the USA is 
extremely bad for creativity
Philipson warns in the free trade article that the US will attempt to impose 
its views onto Australian law
Short extract from one of Philipson's articles:
[quote]

... When copyright laws were first invented, copyright was granted for 14 
years. Over the course of the 20th century this period was extended to 50 
years after a writer's death. In 1998 the US Congress extended the period to 
70 years at the instigation of the music and publishing industries.

That's just one example of copyright being used to protect the monopolistic 
income streams of the industry, rather than the interests of the artist or 
consumer. The adverse effects will be felt in any industry that relies on 
the free flow of information. This, of course, includes the software 
industry, which relies on sharing knowledge to ensure progress.
[/quote]

-- 
Bill Kerr
http://billkerr.blogspot.com/
http://intranet.woodvillehs.sa.edu.au/kerrbi/index.htm

On 6/7/05, Donna Benjamin <donna at cc.com.au> wrote:
> 
> Coupla nice articles in The Age recently...
> Free trade, the new con trick
> By Graeme Philipson - June 7, 2005
> http://tinyurl.com/8pwzh
> 
> Copyright an aberration with a limited future
> By Graeme Philipson - May 17, 2005
> http://tinyurl.com/8zmrp
> 
> hmmm - where'd my signature go?
> 
> donna benjamin - executive director
> http://www.creativecontingencies.com
> 
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