Racing Against Time (CIO Insight) [LWN.net]

CIO Insight has an article by Lawrence Lessig on copyright law. "Copyright law is a crucial part of the system of incentive necessary to spur creative work. But the law affects creativity differently in cyberspace than in real space. Content owners have been quick to argue that cyberspace weakens copyright protection, since digital copies are so easy to make and distribution costs are so low. That may be true. But it is also true that the Internet can strengthen the power of copyright owners far beyond anything imagined by the framers of our copyright act."

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Racing Against Time (CIO Insight)

Posted Dec 15, 2002 23:40 UTC (Sun) by igerahty (guest, #320) [Link]

I am glad than LWN provides such a close watch on these issues for the Linux and Free Software Community. As I consider them as important if not more so than the technical material.

If only the sort of balanced and rational thinking represented by this advocate was more common amongst (particularly US) legislators.

If current cases and legislative attempts support this further extension of the reach of copyright then adverse economic consequences are seemingly inevitable.

The US role in the extension of copyright seems particularly hypocritical when considering that prior to the US adoption of the Berne Convention (1960's by poor recollection) its publishing industry had flourished for almost two centuries by flouting the copyright of foreign authors.

It also seems that such further intrusion of copyright is directly contrary to the current economic fashion for free and unregulated markets but US legislators have demonstrated repeatedly that free trade is not as welcome in their domestic economy.

Free Software (however defined) is a good example of the economic, cultural and technological benefits that are at stake if copyright is not returned to a proper balance of rights and uses. If current efforts to stem the tide and in fact reverse it fail then it may be necessary to adopt a more organised and thorough political/legal campaign based in the US and Europe as the two most influential economic and legal entities in this domain.