Sunday, April 03, 2016
Rare generosity?
Famous people have banded together to petition for reform of Steamboat Willie. Pop singers and record labels are tired of piracy, which Willie encourages:
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Steamboat Willie) governs intellectual property online and dates back to 1998. The RIAA described the DMCA as "broken" and "antiquated." The body takes issue with section 512 of the DMCA, known as the notice-and-takedown provision. It said the act "forces creators to police the entire internet for instances of theft, placing an undue burden on these artists and unfairly favouring technology companies and rogue pirate sites".True. What's rare about this petition? Normally when big stars and big companies want to change a law, the change is carefully calculated to block out smaller competitors. Regulations are rewritten to add complexity and ambiguity, making it impossible for small outfits to keep up. That's exactly how Steamboat was written in 1998. Disney bought the law to eliminate everyone but Disney. The notice-and-takedown principle fits the normal pattern. It's hard on mid-size studios and it's deadly to small operators. I've seen it myself in the world of Poser graphics. When customers can pay $10 for a product legally or pay $0 through pirate sites, only the fools pay $10. The technology companies (ie iTunes) run enough volume that they can charge only $1 for a product, and they can also afford lawyers and net-detectives to trace down the pirates. So I have to thank these big stars for serving their own interests in a way that ALSO serves tiny creators like me! Sharing a benefit is nearly extinct. ¶ 1:49 AM
