Saturday, January 21, 2012

A Question For Clay Shirky

A Question For Clay Shirky

So with all the #SOPA and #PIPA news going around lately I came upon this post from Clay while browsing identi.ca.

Pick up the pitchforks:
David Pogue underestimates Hollywood


I would probably just replied in a comment but comments were closed.

Down at the bottom he says:

We should delight in the stand we’ve taken in favor of things like, say, notifications, and trials, and proof before censoring someone, but we should get ready to do it again next year, and the year after that. The risk now is not that SOPA will pass. The risk is that we’ll think we’ve won. We haven’t; they’ll be back. Get ready to have this fight again.

My question is this, if you really believe that we will have to do this again and again, isn't it time to call for the end of all copyright law instead? Would that not be a safer approach?

Something to think about.

1 comment:

Crosbie Fitch said...

As long as it is made clear that the ending of copyright (the 18th century privilege of a reproduction monopoly) does not end law protecting an author's natural rights concerning their writings (against plagiarism, burglary, misrepresentation, etc.), then yes, ending copyright is the safest approach - if we define safety as protecting humanity from extortion, bankruptcy, imprisonment, and extradition by immortal publishing corporations.

See Questioning Copyright.