Fair Use Threatens Innovation, Copyright Holders Warn (torrentfreak.com)

An anonymous reader shares a TorrentFreak report: Various music and movie industry groups have warned that fair use exceptions are a threat. The groups were responding to proposals put forward in Australia by the Government's Productivity Commission. They claim that content creators will be severely disadvantaged if fair use is introduced Down Under . Several rightsholder groups argue that strong copyright protections are essential for the survival of their businesses. This includes a long copyright term of 70 years, as well as the ability to block access to content based on the location of a consumer. In addition, many believe that fair use exceptions will do more harm than good. For example, music group IFPI warns that fair use will threaten innovation and create legal uncertainty. "Licensing, not exceptions to copyright, drives innovation. Innovation is best achieved through licensing agreements between content owners and users, including technological innovators," IFPI writes.

Comments

Re:Yeah, right

[caseih]

For those that sell software, copyright guarantees (or so they think) a potential revenue stream through licensing. As to open source software, copyright becomes the vehicle for keeping the software free and open, and prevents it (theoretically) from being stolen by companies who want to make money off of it. At the same time, it does allow the copyright holders of the open source (GPL'd, etc) software to be able to sell their work if they choose under proprietary terms. This is one reason I select the GPL for my personal projects. It gives me the freedom to sell proprietary licenses if the code ever was interesting enough to catch a commercial vendor's attention.

In any case, the OP's point still stands, and I think he was making the point from the POV of the music industry first and foremost. They see copyright as a rent-seeking mechanism, not one for innovation.