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Cuban v. EFF lawyer on YouTube, DMCA
hamtaro writes "Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and outspoken activist on copyright issues, exchanged some words with an EFF lawyer at this year's EFF 'Pioneer Awards'. The awards, held earlier this week, saw a heated discussion ensue about YouTube. Apparently Cuban feels that 'everyone knows' that YouTube is host to tons of infringing content and therefore it should be exempt from DMCA protections. You read that right: the EFF, defending the DMCA against Mark Cuban. 'Cuban is an interesting spokesman for copyright concerns since he has a broad perspective; as the owner of HDNet, he worries about having his content given away for free without his consent, but he's also someone who has funded EFF campaigns in the past, especially when the group defended Grokster's claim to legality. One of the strangest aspects of the debate was seeing an EFF lawyer defend the DMCA, which usually comes in for a drubbing due to its anti-circumvention provision. But von Lohmann told Ars Technica after the debate that the safe harbor section has actually allowed plenty of businesses to flourish that might otherwise have been mired in legal problems, and that it has generally worked well.'"
Mark Cuban certainly is a controversial figure. However, he's a smart guy and has done a great deal for independent film-making.
I agree with his views on this, I think the EFF is wrong. The DMCA belongs to an old business model, one that Mark and others are moving away from.
Still, I do understand that the EFF needs to appear reasonable and can't push extreme or radical agendas, moderation probably helps them win friends. Mark doesn't need to do that, and it's great that he can add a maverick voice to the mix - in the long run this may help the EFF ideas seem more practical.