Are SOPA opponents crying wolf over Attaché Act? — SOPA opponents are becoming very adept at fleeing from reality. The latest example is the minor uproar this week over the proposed Intellectual Property Attaché Act, which would realign a six year-old program under the auspices of the Patent and Trademark Office. Tamlin H. Bason at Bloomberg takes a look at just how wide the gap is between what the bill does and what folks at Public Knowledge, Boing Boing, and Techdirt say it does.
Robert Levine argues against the culture of ‘free’ — Ben Challis at the 1709 Blog writes up Free Ride author Rob Levine’s appearance at the UK’s IndieCon last week. As Challis states, “Robert was interviewed by Ben Watt, one half of alternative pop duo Everything But The Girl, BBC 6Music DJ, author and founder of his own label, Buzzin’ Fly. Robert adds an interesting and clear voice to the debate about the future of copyright and to be clear whilst critical of some aspects of copyright, overall he supports the regulatory framework and the right of authors to be paid – if they want to be paid.”
Megaupload and the twilight of copyright — Roger Parloff of Fortune pens an extraordinarily comprehensive look at the state of copyright law from Sony to Megaupload. Highly recommended.
One filmmaker’s fight against the cyberlockers — A companian piece to the article above. It tells the story of indie filmmaker Ellen Seidler, and the huge blows online piracy has had on her ability to make movies. “I got to say it galled me to see Google making money off my film, and the pirate-operator making money, and we’re still in debt,’ says Seidler.”
Lowery: The blue-collar musician at the eye of the copyright storm — Andrew Orlowski interviews David Lowery, whose posts on the Trichordist have kickstarted the entrance of a fresh set of voices in online copyright discussions. Excellent piece that covers a wide range of topics.
What’s so great about viral? — Some words of caution for creators from Bemuso. “Viral content and pop media parasites offer empty calories… Music spreads between people who value art rather than artifice and if it’s good enough it builds careers. It doesn’t survive in the fast lane where the audience only has a few seconds to spare.”
A Reality Series Finds Silicon Valley Cringing — Coming soon to Bravo, a reality show that promises a closer look at the topsy-turvey world of Silicon Valley startup culture. “As the cameras rolled the other day, Ben and Hermione Way, a photogenic brother-and-sister team from England, discussed the $500,000 they got to develop a fitness app. ‘Four noes and one yes,’ Ben said, sadly. ‘Not exactly people throwing money at us.’ He added that he developed the idea for the business while drinking in a bar.”
PayPal Bans Major File-Hosting Services Over Piracy Concerns — The major online payment processor has stepped up its efforts to prevent its services from being used for commercial copyright infringement. In recent months, it has cut off several major cyberlockers, and recently it has updated its terms of use to be more robust.
The Supreme Court rules on copyright — The Supreme Court of Canada released its decisions in five copyright appeals heard last December. Attorney Barry Sookman has a run down of what the Court held and what the decisions mean.
No Two Artists Are Alike — Lucinda Dugger of the Copyright Alliance reports on the incredible range of artists who performed at an event for delegates and stakeholders in San Diego earlier this month during TPP negotiations. Says Dugger, “The evening served as a wonderful reminder of the diversity of voices and experiences in the creative community.”