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.
Comments
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
And then they don't even see much of the move their product brings in, most ofit goes to the IP holder.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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 have a dream, break the chains of copy right oppression! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/what-is-cigital-disobedience/
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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'
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
Medicine has absolutely nothing to do with copyright.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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.
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
That would be patent. Hence, the term "patent medicines."
Re: Grassroots Campaign Seeks Copyright Protection for ...
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).