wired on copyright case
This Wired News article describing the Supreme Court's upholding the odious copyright extension legislation once again identifies Congress as where change needs to occur, and points out an interesting aspect of the SCOTUS ruling:
[Music attorney Whitney] Broussard, however, noted that the decision could someday haunt copyright owners because it clarifies that Congress is the ultimate forum for copyright law. If Congress someday took away terms now enjoyed by copyright owners, he said, it might be more difficult to argue that it's an act of "taking away" under the Fifth Amendment.
"That seems to be the other edge of this decision," he said.
While the lobbying strength of media companies makes such prospects unlikely any time soon, the future balance of power may depend on the success of grassroots efforts.
"It's my hope that there's actually good to come out of this decision," said Kraus of DigitalConsumer.org. "It's a wake-up call. It's a rallying cry."
Absolutely. Congress must be pressured to give the public domain back to the public, and any Congresscritter who votes to take the public domain away for the benefit of media conglomerates should be exposed as the corporate shill he or she is.
|
