Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for Artists
Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for Artists
September 29, 2009
The Copyright Alliance has penned a letter to President Obama and Vice President Biden asking the Administration to “pursue policies of the rights of artists.”
The dispatch has been posted to the group’s website and is presented as a call to action, allowing artists and creators to sign the letter. At the time of this post, over 7,700 copies of the letter had been personalized.
The letter notes the following about those who affixed their signatures:
We enrich our culture with a wide range of creative expression, including music, film, software, video games, writing, photography, graphics, and other visual arts.
An appeal at the end of the communication implores Obama and Biden to:
Please pursue policies supportive of the rights of artists and the encouragement of our creative efforts. Without the proper respect for our rights and works today, it will become even more difficult for us to create in the future.
The campaign was drafted in response to The President naming Victoria Espinel as Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, a move the Alliance called “a strong sign,” and one they will be “watching with optimism.” The Alliance intends to deliver the letter this fall.
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Posted 11/21/09 at 09:21am
magic_taco: ...ok...
magic_taco: ...ok...
Posted 11/21/09 at 08:16am
ZippyDSMlee: Welcome and goodmorning its zippy in the AM....wat OMG its 8:50AM!!!!
ZippyDSMlee: Welcome and goodmorning its zippy in the AM....wat OMG its 8:50AM!!!!
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:42pm
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:17pm
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:10pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:01pm
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:59pm
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:49pm
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:46pm
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:44pm
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:42pm
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:33pm
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:25pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:07pm
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:56pm
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
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Comments
Was this really necessary? The last time I checked the U.S. was fast moving towards the abolishment of consumer ownership of anything you couldn't say you 100% created on your own.
You already don't own the video games you buy or ANYTHING you download (even if downloaded legally).
I am all for people being able to own and control their work and to be the only entity allowed to make money from it. Copyright does bring us things we wouldn't have without such assurances, like many of the medicines currently on the market.
I think this should be carefully balanced against the consumer's right to use that product as they wish once they have paid for it. A lot of DRM takes away this control in the guise of "IP protection" when really I think they are just trying to squeeze more money out of consumers.
Medicine has absolutely nothing to do with copyright.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
That would be patent. Hence, the term "patent medicines."
I was talking about IP laws in general. Copyright is the right to reproduce work. I know that. I was referencing a bigger problem with the balance between the consumer and the rights holders when it comes to IP law here and abroad. Way to miss the broader point by focusing on the details.
Copyright law needs reforming, but in the opposite direction of that proposed. Let's focus less on the rights of artists and more on the interests of the public domain.
I think one of the main problems is that people don't understand the difference between the rights of the artist and the rights of the publisher. These are two SEPERATE entities in most of the situations gamers deal with. Very few developers are their own publishers.
If you don't support the developer/artist, you don't get any IP to divide rights to between consumers, artists and others. If you have a beef with the industry as a consumer you need to focus your anger on publishers and retailors, not on developers who just churn out content and hope to god they get paid and their company doesn't go belly up. If you're a developer you can carry anger for the publishers who take too large a piece of the revenue from your work, the retailors who are actively trying to lower new sales in support of used sales, and the "consumers" who never buy new or never buy period (pirating).
The evils that make the market the horrible place it is are: Greedy retailors, Greedy publishers and greedy consumers. SOMETIMES the publisher is the developer, but you also have to remember even in that model it's never going to be the game designer or content creators who are handling pricing and sales. Even in a self-published environment they have someone else handling those details.
EDIT: Decided to put the lists of bads in order of their effect on the market.
I am in favor of copyright changes that do more for artists and creators.
This is seperate from copyright changes that help the big gatekeepers who end up holding all the cards under the current system.
The whole copyright debate tends to focus around 'creators vs consumers' when it should be 'creators and consumers vs gatekeepers'
You can say that and feel good that you support the "little guy" and not the evil corporations but who do you think is launching these people's careers? Who pays the large promotional fees, has the radio contacts, etc? If it weren't for these "gatekeepers" a lot of artists wouldn't be as large as they are today.
I wonder if this is copy protection from the people or from corporate..... shearing is a right IMO but selling is always the right of the IP ownerwe need to understand this and kill off the dinosaurs of the industry so the industry will be slimmer and more apt to make a profit.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
I cant agree that this is a grassroots movement, since copyright cartels have been asking for more rights for as long as copyright existed. We should also consider that many artists end up signing away their rights for material that they created as a preliminary term to even get paid.
And then they don't even see much of the move their product brings in, most ofit goes to the IP holder.
My only problem is this organization wants to charge for the 30 second sample on iTunes, which I think is beyond absured. It is one thing to say, "Hey, artists deserve more from record sales and song downloads" and another to say, "Hey, whenever more than 5 seconds of an artists song is played, they get paid, even if the song is played to help people decide if they want to purchase it." There are better ways to lobby for a fair share than this.
Foaming at the mouth