Are we all criminals?
Got this from zotz, aka Drew Roberts, who is a passionate proponent of creative commons licensing, of a rethinking of the copyright laws of the twentieth century:http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/730724&autostart=false
I wanted to post it, and link to the page it came from, because I agree with it, 95%. My reservation comes when I'm thinking about our local creative work. Creative commons is all very well when it's applied to corporations versus individuals -- the very issues that are being discussed above. But what happens when corporations lay claim to the intellectual property of countries, cultures, groups? What recourse do the creators have then? I am still a supporter of copyright law when it applies to those peoples and cultures who did not get to benefit from the turning of knowledge into capital that occurred in the twentieth century; I believe that without the fundamental comprehension that what we imagine and make is worth cash we in the Americas will continue to do what we were established to do by Europe and its successors in North America -- provide the raw material for others to refine, market, sell, and profit from.But check out the video. It's still something worth discussing. Good food for thought.