Who Will Obama Choose As Copyright Czar?

seanpark writes "Who will President Elect Obama select for the recently established post of Copyright Czar? Biden has a longstanding relationship with Big Content, and he was partly responsible for the PRO-IP Act that created the position. The short list according to the article includes a few lobbyists (who would likely be disqualified by stringent ethical guidelines) and Lawrence Lessig, who was a technology adviser to the Obama Campaign."

Comments

Not the good professor

[symbolset]

He's a wise choice, a rational voice is a sea of stupidity. Picking him would represent a striking change, a sudden outbreak of common sense.

Therefore it ain't gonna happen.

Re:Not the good professor

[Marillion]

I think a real outbreak of common sense would be to give the department a budget of $1 (or less) and fill the position once peace breaks out over the planet.

Re:Not the good professor

[Darundal]

IIRC, you have it in reverse: the entertainment industry wants a strong copyright czar.

Re:Not the good professor

[aichpvee]

That really depends upon your definition of strong. If strong means strong arm thug for the copyright industries, then Lessig probably isn't the right kind of strong. If strong means possibly having a reasonable, pragmatic approach and not caving to pressure from said industries, Lessig might not do so badly.

Re:Not the good professor

[sumdumass]

Why does reasonable have to mean agrees with my point of view?

I mean someone who is for the entertainment and copyright industry's use of copyright can still be reasonable and pragmatic, it just won't be as far to one side as the other.

Re:Not the good professor

[jonaskoelker]

we need somebody who will make dramatic changes to re-align the law with common sense.

What's common sense, here?

I think the common-sense thing to do is to repeal and enact a set of laws that will be of maximum benefit to the American People, based on the best available evidence and well-tested economic models.

Basing judgments on evidence and theoretical understanding is how we do software, medicine, aviation and construction, to name a few. I think evidence should play a role in governance as well.

I don't have any hard evidence to back up any particular position. You didn't present any---do you have any?

I have a bit of soft evidence: people have been copying music whenever they had the technology to do it. Back in the old days, it was cassettes. Then it was CDs, and now it's mp3s copied over the internet. The only thing that's changed is that we've all gotten a few billion more friends to copy from.

Dragnet litigation and copyright propaganda video before every movie doesn't seem to have changed peoples' inclination to copy media. No DRM scheme has seemed to be effective in stopping people who really want to copy media.

I suggest that (as an experimental policy) it becomes permitted to do verbatim copying of all copyrighted works for non-commercial purposes.

If big chunks of the "copyright industries" die off and people have a shortage of music on the radio, in the tube and in the tubes, and the shortage persists over a long time as people try out new business models, then this would be evidence that copying is bad when we just let people do it.

If people are happy about the amount and quality of new music coming out and the price of concert tickets in the new model, then that's evidence that we as a society will pay musicians enough money to make them satisfy society's needs while still doing the sharing and copying we want.

Re:Not the good professor

[sumdumass]

Well, that's sort of my point. This isn't just the US doing things because Evil Disney wanted them to. It is the US agreeing to do certain things because of obligations and if anyone expected anything to change, they have to understand those controlling connections. Instead of telling your elected officials that you don't want more copyright regs you need to tell them to no accept it in the ACTA treaties and stuff like that when it comes up because he might be obligated to passing something if he passes the treaties. If you want to repeal the two copyright term extensions, you need to get two treaties either amended or convince the US to withdraw from them. Simply saying quit serving Disney's or big businesses' interest over yours isn't enough because being obligate to doing something beause of a treaty doesn't make big businesses' interest the forefront of the topic.

Lessig would be fine

[Ralph Spoilsport]

We need a countervailing force against the minions of IP evil like the MAFIAA and the rest of them.

However, I don't know where he would actually do more good - inside the administration which is already compromised with appointments like Rahm Emanuel - or outside fighting the good fight. As a consequence, I'm not certain he would take such a position if asked.

It's quite possible, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

RS

Re:Lessig would be fine

[iluvcapra]

Parent is not a troll. I don't agree that the administration is "compromised" by any of the appointments so far, but it's clear there are things you can do inside and things you can do outside, and there's no guarantee LL's skillset will work on the former.

On the other hand, there's all kinds of jobs the preznit can ask you to do, some policy-administrative-do stuff, like Secretary of Commerce, and some strictly advisory, like the the job Paul Volker got yesterday. In theory, you put "safe" people no one can complain about in the "do stuff" jobs, but you put the hair-burning crazies on the advisory boards to give you perspective. Lessig would be able contribute greatly leading an outside policy board.

Hey Barack!

[MillionthMonkey]

I recommend Shawn Fanning.

Re:Hey Barack!

[moranar]

Nah. Jon Lech Johansen.

It does not matter to me

[bogaboga]

Well, I do not care who he chooses as long as the chosen fella does not propagate policies that get in my way. I frequently download all kinds of stuff in all categories. Emule and Bittorent are my friends.

I just wish I could be a "steam roller" like that [infamous] former New York state top official, even if it can be for a while.

Lessig would be a good choice

[mysidia]

As copyright czar he may be in a position to push for certain changes to rules to introduce some sanity. And give the consumer some protections as well as big recording industry players' freedoms.

The president and his staff may be more likely to listen to the ideas of a copyright czar than to some Stanford professor.

Here's an idea: NO ONE

[LynnwoodRooster]

Seriously, the LAST thing needed is another "somethingorother czar" to supposedly solve problems. What powers will this czar have, other than being the President's lobbyist to Congress to push their own agenda?

Re:He had the good sense...

[Anonymous Coward]

Man... i remember when slashdot was moderated by its users instead of some sort of politically corrective nutty nun-fucked assholes.

What the fuck is wrong with you people? Yes, you, the idiot paid for by slashdot to moderate inflamatory comments.

yes, its inflamatory to speak about the new color of the "white" house, but if you had two fingers in your forhead youd realize that its a pun on white america's discrimination, and not a racist ploy against the new prez.

But hey, thats where YOUR FUCKING RACISM shines through.

Re:NYCL

[Anpheus]

I wouldn't want to remove him from his current practice when there aren't many others like him.