Big Media not only wants to protect their existing rights under copyright law, but they’re constantly pushing to get even more legal protection. Although they won’t directly admit to it, they’re trying to undermine fair use rights. Because of the rapid advancement of technology for publishing and communication, copyright law affects the average citizen far more than was ever expected. On Boing Boing, Cory Doctorow gives a very insightful explanation of this, in the context of the MPAA themselves violating someone else’s software copyright;
Copyright law is hard. It used to only govern relations between giant industrial players. Copyright didn’t regulate reading an interesting tidbit from the newspaper for a friend. It didn’t regulate watching movies. But now, sharing a newspaper article with a friend (by blogging it) involves copying, and so triggers copyright. Now watching a movie (by downloading it) involves copying, so it triggers copyright. The rules that are supposed to be interpreted by lawyers at Fortune 100 companies now apply to every single kid working on a project for her class’s website.
This is like having to file with the SEC every time you loan a buddy $5 for lunch.
Even the MPAA and its member companies can’t avoid violating copyright.
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Is it any wonder that everyone with a computer is practically guaranteed to be a copyright criminal?
Copyright law is hard!
Big Media not only wants to protect their existing rights under copyright law, but they’re constantly pushing to get even more legal protection. Although they won’t directly admit to it, they’re trying to undermine fair use rights. Because of the rapid advancement of technology for publishing and communication, copyright law affects the average citizen far more than was ever expected. On Boing Boing, Cory Doctorow gives a very insightful explanation of this, in the context of the MPAA themselves violating someone else’s software copyright;