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EU Record Companies Push to Extend Copyright
TPIRman writes "European record companies, as represented by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, are pressuring the European Union to extend copyright terms for music producers. Critics like Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig are predictably opposed, but the IFPI argues that the move is needed in order to bring the E.U. in sync with U.S. copyright regulations. Ironically, one of the original rationales behind the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act was that U.S. copyrights needed to sync up with European standards."
But seriously - why would ANYONE want the kinds of copyright nonsense we have over here? Talk to your senator, congressman, or the equivalent (don't know how your system works :p ) and shoot this down!
Physics is nothing like religion. If it was, we'd have an easier time trying to raise money!
Unfortunately I can't argue for the unconstitutionality of these laws since we don't have a constitution here, but this copyright extension thing is stupid. Really stupid. We only just got Elvis in the public domain (is he even there yet?) from years and years ago. The UK even retroactively takes things out of the public domain, so if this passes we could lose that. (copy as much as you can, now, while you can).
I am trolling
Do all nation's laws need to be in sync? Is it possible that one nation has made a grave error and that others should avoid doing the same? Why does our whole world now have a bad case of "keeping up with the Jones'" in relation to legal matters. We all have our own governments, why can't they seem to think independently anymore and make better decisions....
Damn globalization!
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. -Martin Luther
Anyone in the UK really should take the time to write to their MP. Already this week we've seen a report in the Times saying that a labour MP is proposing to extend Copyright to be 100 years... ..."to protect the artist".
:-)
How they can say that with a straight face is beyond me. I guess the record industry makes it easier for them?
I wrote to my MP on Tuesday, and got a response the next day thanking me for my concerns, stating that he has read up on, and now understands the issue, and that they will discuss it with the Labour MP that is proposing the bill.
It might be mere platitudes to keep me oppressed, but it might just work. We are supposed to be in a democracy, although with the EU constitution "no" votes from France and the Netherlands, one does wonder if the hierarchy will merely push it through no matter what the public says.
No doubt someone will point out that this is EU policy which will need to be enacted in UK law, but all the same, make yourself heard. I did, and boy do I feel good about it
But you know it's going to happen, their companies are saying "How can we compete with the Americans when they have copyrights for 95 years and we only have them for 50 years? That's not fair.".
The copyright laws need to be put back to their original terms, 14 years and if they apply, one extension of 14 years.
Looking for any old 8-bit Heathkit/Zenith software/hardware - http://heathkit.garlanger.com
While I disagree with how long copryrights have been extended here, I don't see what's wrong with the concept of consistency in global copyright laws. With inconsistent laws, the enforcement of copyrights from country to country would be chaotic at best.
Then again, you were probably just looking for a reason to take your daily swipe at "greedy" corporations.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
Why don't we (the US) curtail our copyright terms in order to sync up with the EU?
Just a thought...
(I know, this is as silly as exercising more and eating less in order to lose weight.)
Ben Hocking
Need a professional organizer?
You surely forgot something in your list... Money to BUY the things... if the copyright oponents do not give money to the copyright owners (i.e. do not buy) then it will be difficult for the owners to win...
Anyway, I just found this interesting page, and I think it is kind of on topic with this discussion:
Some thoughs about piracy. It is better than I state here, have a look
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
The US was the first to suffer all the copyright bullshit because the US was the first to truely feel the real pressures of the information age. But, when push comes to shove, Eorocrats and Canadacrats, are just as susceptable to corrupt political bullshit if not moreso than anyone else.
I say this because allot of US people are hopeing that other countries will fight the copyright battle for them. I say the opposite is true, we need to get rid of copyrights here first and the rest of the world will take care of itself in due time.
I'm loving the tactics the *PAA uses. Pay off the politicians in one country to extended copyright length. Then lobby other coutnries to do the same so copyright lengths can be "in sync". Then, repeat the process over and over again until the whole premiss of limited copyright and public domain are out the door.
You forgot a very important weapon in the opponents arsenal.
And they CAN'T be stopped.
The Supreme Court disagrees with you, sir. Check out the Eldred vs. Ashcroft decision, where they rule that repeated extensions are _not_ the same as unlimited, since they are still define a finite (if not long) time.
Fortunately or unfortunately, that is indeed a reasonable interpretation of the Constitution, too.
-Erwos
Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
You seem to take for granted that the music industry should always exist as it is now, where people goes to buy music at the music store instead of just subscribing to far more convenient solutions such as the iTunes online store and many others. Do you really think that all of your problems come from piracy?
What I see from your post is simply that you are having a bad time, but instead of trying to get the money from the few customers that do come to buy CDs, you kick them out because you believe them to be pirates. You're playing the judge without a trial. No matter how much you twist it.
By the way, your blacklist law proposal is crap. Who is going to add names to that list... you? Because you think you're right? And what if you are not right and the kid was just trying to sound cool or something?
diegoT
Ok, so I didn't RTFA, an' I'm gonna rant, so I'll burn in hell, but here goes anyway
BULLSHIT! All this "get the copyright laws in sync" is bullshit. Isn't it obvious? There's no irony here, just sadness personified--great big lobby groups on both sides of the pond steamrollering over as much public domain / creative commons stuff as they possibly can and using really, really weak "rationals" to pretend to justify it.
The "get the laws in sync" thing carries no weight. Suppose I support law A. But my country doesn't have law A, my country has A-lite--well then I'm definitely gonna be arguing to "get the laws in sync" duh. OTOH, suppose my country has law A, the other country has law A-lite, and I like A-lite better--well then I can make the exact same, damn argument.
Now suppose I hate law A-lite, and my country's the one with law A--then instead I'll be arguing, "woah! Let's not change things! That country's got law A and it's all full of vermin and lice and bad stuff 'cause of it! One of the great things about our nation is we have law A instead of A-lite.
I'm probably not explaining myself very clearly, but I hope I'm making at least an A-lite level of sense.
Furry cows moo and decompress.
Most people know the Bono Act extended copyright, but few know the specifics. In most of the world all recordings made before 1954 are in the public domain. But thanks to the Bono Act, in the U.S. all sound recordings made before 1972 are now copyrighted until 2067. This applies even to the earliest recordings on wax cylinders and discs made in the 1890s, which Sony now claims the rights to. That's more than 170 years of copyright protection for those items.
The old world aristocracy claimed that it had the divine right to own and control everything, because God in his wisdom determined everyone's place in life. That was the rationalization, but the plain and simple reason was that they had armed soldiers working for them to enforce their decrees. And in spite of the modern rhetoric that's exactly the way it still is today.
Macaulay was against this bill and he gave two speeches on the matter. Ultimately, the bill failed by a narrow margin (46% for and 54% against).
jolly_st_nick was kind enough to post the entire text of Macaulay's first speech to Kuro5hin a few years back. Here it is.
My favourite quote comes from near the end:
The man sure knew his stuff. I can't think of a more eloquent way to describe the current state of affairs in the Western world when it comes to the copyright debate.
It is most certainly worth taking the time to read the whole text. The man had a lot of insight into the matter, and most of his arguments (while the language and cultural references are somewhat dated) still apply to this day.
I just want to take over the world...Why does that automatically make me EVIL?
Since "intellectual property" is being treated by the law more and more as if it were physical property, then perhaps it should be taxed like physical property (real estate tax, etc.) too. An interesting discussion of this can be found at Copyright Term Reform/Taxation. I doubt the movement to reduce copyright terms will have any effect, so this seems like the next best thing, which (because it would mean more revenue for the government) might have a tiny chance in hell of actually happening. The idea of yet more taxes doesn't particularly thrill me in and of itself, but read this article and see what you think.