I liked how the Web Theory Ch. 7 presented the issue as
“The debate then, should be framed not as creators versus the public, but as copyright holders versus the public.”
The text asserts that “the time is ripe for old notions and institutions to be re-examined and re-evaluated, and then to be retooled to better serve people”. Another way of saying this would be “new media warrants new police”.
I do agree that copyright policy needs retooling (every time I read “retooled” I thought of several appropriate Metalica jokes).
I enjoyed Lessig’s ideas on the use of the law in regards to cyber property. “From the point of view of the state, we need law only when the other three modalities leave property vulnerable. From the point of view of the citizen, real-space code (such as locks) is needed when laws
and norms alone do not protect enough. Understanding how property is protected means understanding how these different protections work together.”
I think to this point, entirely too much responsibility for property has been placed on the law.
I agree with Lessig in his article “How I Lost the Big One” when he states that “The real harm is to the works that are not famous, not commercially exploited, and no longer available as a result.” I have never really thought about this before, but that is a very sad thought that some works without commercial value, although still valuable in other ways, may be lost. I wonder if there is any hope for these works found in the longtail theory.
This is what I got out of “How I Learned to Love Larry”…
This
should be ok.
In my opinion, as far as the law goes, yes. As for taste, no.
(btw, I went to school with the “troll” playing “bass”)
