Too Much Copyright – Reason.TV

Zach Weissmueller presents this Reason.TV piece addressing the fucked up nature of US copyright law. It’s a very interesting discussion with law professor Tom Bell and Ben Sheffner who is the head counsel for the MPAA and Ben Huh, the founder of Cheezeburger. After you hear what they have to say be sure to check some of the links mentioned below since they provide further information on the desire of the major media corporations to break, own and control the internet.

Although this is about US copyright we all have to be concerned with whatever boneheaded shite their Congress tries to enact and the big media lobbyists shill for because all that crap like SOPA and PIPA and CISPA gets aggressively exported to other countries via undemocratic trade agreements like ACTA and TPP. These greedy ass fucks are going to be relentless in their attempts to break the net in order to maintain their grip on culture industries – they don’t care if it screws up everything for everyone else – so we have to be just as relentless in breaking their knuckles every time they make another reach against your rights.

Always remember, the internet is an extension of your nervous system. Net Neutrality equals more than just Free Speech -it’s also about Freedom of Thought. Follow the news on these issues and always add your voice against these measures in whatever way you can – every little shout out does make a difference.

Cheers.

2 Responses to Too Much Copyright – Reason.TV

  1. Kit says:

    Thanks Robbo. Love the analogy to prohibition.

    The war on the public domain is so clearly against the arts and creativity, that there is simply no arguement for it other than corporate greed. One of the things that is killing original filmmaking is the death grip studios have on their franchises and back catalogues. Patents expire for a reason. Imitation and developing the ideas of others is the key to progress and invention. Disney was founded on this very principle.

    Piracy only seems like an unsurmountable problem to the studio system because they are completely unwilling to accept that their old way of doing business is over. They refuse to adopt a cheap and simple distribution outlet for consumers and instead focus their energies on criminalizing them. If fair pricing and distribution means that they can no longer recoup the costs of some of their crappier $200 million productions, they should stop making them. If they can not offer a product that consumers are willing to pay something for, then they should go out of business.

    Ever since the video boom, studios have claimed the end was nigh, while their profits grew with each new form of redistribution. It’s time for them to once again adapt or die. Adapt their strategies, but most importantly adapt their expectations.

  2. Robbo says:

    Kit!

    That kind of narrow, controlling and selfish thinking is – alas – not just fucking up their own industry, it’s having significant impact on fundamental human rights around the world and threatens to hobble major innovations in communications and culture that will create profound changes in how we live our lives for many generations to come.

    Small minded fucks.

    Thanks for commenting. I’m behind on my blogging duties but have a few neat things up my sleeve – as well as a couple of rants about my own dealings within the industry as I try to convince them to embrace the changes washing over us.

    cheers