Sunday, March 31, 2013
Surprise: Register Of Copyrights Expected To Call For Reduction In Copyright Term
Techdirt: For a long time now, the idea of an overhaul of copyright law in the US has mostly been seen as a pipedream. However, it appears that the Register of Copyright, Maria Pallante, may actually be angling for a major bit of copyright reform. Coming up next Wednesday, she's going to be testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on her supposed "Call for Updates to U.S. Copyright Law." Apparently, on March 4th, she gave a talk at Columbia University which has remained amazingly under the radar until now, in which she proposed a long list of possible copyright reforms, which are likely to headline the hearings next week. It's fairly impressive, given how much attention copyright law has been getting lately, that she could present a surprising call for massive changes to the law, and not have a single person report on it immediately after the event ended. However, that is the case.
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4 comments:
To me it does seem strange that copy right would last as long as life and then fifty years extra. Technology is updating at such a rapid pace that anything that is copy righted would be replaced in ten years. The only reason I could understand that copy right would last that long is the need to copy right art. However even then artist don't really seem to live that long which begs the question when does something become a classic and okay for the public to use for free?
The fact that the Registrar of the Copyright office is testifying for the House is way more interesting than anything she might talk about. My understanding is that the Registrar has a limited policy role, and a much larger administrative role. This article also downplays the difficulty of a change in copyright law- essentially, it would be one way to guarantee that any congressman supporting such a change does not get elected next time. So the fact that she's even testifying is interesting, and I'd be curious to see why the House Judiciary Committee called her in the first place (especially Republican controlled, typical proponents of better/longer copyright protection). I plan on reading her testimony later this week.
The Registrar is going to have a LOT of very outspoken opponents in this ring, and it's going to be a challenge for her to really be heard when, like Brian noted above, agreeing with her is essentially a death sentence for any politician. What I am predicting to come out of this is a restart of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act arguments we saw a few years ago, along with some discussion over the length of time that an entity (read: the corporation with the mouse) can hold onto a copyright. It's not likely to actually cause any change, but may spark discussion.
Brian - I'm curious about the Registrar submitting policy change suggestions too.
Absolutely. Our society has reached a level of production in which it is necessary to use others ideas to make our own. It's not plagiarism, it's bricolage. It is essential for continuing the enrichment of society and our innovations.
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