From his syndicated column (“Obliging the Entertainment Industry Poobahs”, Newhouse, Nov. 29):
Think of all the unauthorized copyrighted material you have in your head right now: Beatles tunes, Stephen King plots, images of Mickey Mouse.
Thief!
Well, you’re not exactly a criminal — but give it time.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act has just been amended again, and if the changes make the entertainment industry happy, that does not bode well for your future.
Tomorrow the law may be amended to prevent you from reading Doonesbury while moving your lips, since that’s an unauthorized reproduction that shifts content from one form to another….
2 Comments
The US is more and more like europe i.e. government business monopoly complex. No lobbyist left behind. My high hopes for the Bush presidency I had in early 2001 have turned into a worst case scenerio. The net effect of all of this is small businesses have a much more difficult time getting a foothold.
There is a crying need for standardisation of copyright laws. The need to protect the authors of original works is paramount. The need to enjoy without monetory or business profit, i.e. gain without pain, is second.
As a journalist and a lawyer, just this afternoon, I was upset when one of the seniormost solicitors in Bombay blatantly used my thesis in his review. Can I do anything? No. I am working on patents for mosquito elinination, an internal combustion engine, a fire hydrant valve and a couple of novels to boot. Do I need protection? Ya bet!
Bapoo M. Malcolm