MSNBC: Copyrights and copywrongs (Why Thomas Jefferson Would Love Napster)
Nov 09, 2001, 11:56 (14 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Siva Vaidhyanathan)
[ Thanks to Lin Kuei
for this link. ]
"Because so many recent cases involve digital
technology, we might assume that these are new issues, that
copyright in an analog world was relatively stable and
non-controversial. But in fact, copyright was not only one of the
most lively subjects of debate among our Founding Fathers. The
values that copyright reflects echo with the very principles of the
American Revolution and Constitutional Convention.
At its birth in England, copyright was an instrument of
censorship. In 1557, the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor capped off a
120-year monarchal struggle to censor printing presses in England
by issuing a charter to the Stationers? Company, a guild of
printers. Only members of the company could legally produce books.
The only books they would print were approved by the Crown.
In contrast, the American copyright system since 1791 has
reflected American republican values. While it granted a limited,
temporary monopoly to a specific publisher, American copyright grew
to embody four democratic safeguards...."
Complete
Story
Related Stories:
- osOpinion: Boiling Point: When Computers and Laws Meet(Mar 13, 2001)
- TechLaw Journal: Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia on the DMCA and Fair Use Doctrine(Mar 08, 2001)
- Wired: Copyright or Copy Wrong?(Feb 16, 2001)
- Cryptome.org: Friend of Court Brief: DeCSS is a copyrightable literary work; DMCA cited to prove it(Jan 25, 2001)
- DNAlounge.com: Webcasting Legally(Jan 01, 2001)
- InfoWorld: Legitimate concerns vs. free speech: Who defines the rules for the Net?(Nov 07, 2000)
- The Register: Senator Hatch's Napster Epiphany(Oct 24, 2000)
- NewsForge: EFF takes its DVD case to Linux users, looking to raise funds(Sep 15, 2000)
- Linuxports: MP3 and DVD: The Final Solution?(Sep 06, 2000)
- PC Magazine: A Far Worse Attack [movie studios vs. DeCSS](Aug 28, 2000)
- CNET News.com: Hollywood looks to kill hyperlinks in copyright fights(Jul 26, 2000)
- VNU Net: Creation Records founder defends Napster(Jul 24, 2000)
