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The US Registrar of Copyright herself calls for a mixed bag of reforms

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40hz:
Mike Masnick over at TechDirt has outdone himself with this long article on US Registrar of Copyright Maria Palante's recent statement made during a Congressional hearing and her public address at Columbia University in which she talks about copyright reform.

More Details On Copyright Register Maria Pallante's Call For Comprehensive, 'Forward-Thinking, But Flexible' Copyright Reform
from the details,-details,-details dept

On Friday, we had two stories breaking the news that the Register of Copyright is expected this week to call for comprehensive copyright reform, including both a slight reduction in term as well as some of other changes. It's somewhat surprising that (as far as I can tell), no other publications are reporting on this, considering the magnitude of this bit of news. There was a brief bit of speculation in Billboard, but most other publications have stayed silent so far.
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...the Copyright Office has released the full text of her speech at Columbia University from two weeks ago, in which she lays out her ideas in much greater detail. It's an interesting read, and I hope that most people here will take the time to read through the whole thing carefully before jumping into the discussion. There is a lot in there to process -- some of it good, some of it troubling, some of it that requires more thought and study. Assuming that Congress does move forward on this point, there is going to be an awful lot of back and forth over the next few years, and it wouldn't surprise me if it takes a decade or more before something is finally hammered out.
--- End quote ---

The text of Maria Palante's speech (along with with extensive footnotes) runs for 30 pages and covers a lot of ground. And it's something well worth reading several times since copyright law has broad implications for the future of information sharing and transmission.

This is good stuff. Budget some time and get up to speed on it. Because we have a steep and winding road ahead of us with this one.



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Links:

TechDirt article
Palante's statement to Congress (PDF)
Text of Palante's speech at Columbia University.(PDF)
 :Thmbsup:

Renegade:
Is this just to get people's hopes up so that they can dash them? Or is it serious?

40hz:
^I think it's serious. But she doesn't speak for Congress which can (and does) do whatever it wants.

I was surprised, after reading it a few times, how balanced her comments were. There's some things in there that were a little troubling as TechDirt pointed out. But it was nowhere near the complete sellout to big media interests I expected it to be.

I think she presented what she considered a doable rather than another "in a perfect world" proposal.

The fact that her comments were left almost completely unreported (and uncommented on) by the major media and news organizations speaks volumes as to how her words have likely been received by those who have been aggressively advancing their own agendas regarding US copyright legislation.

It's a long and winding road indeed. Uphill...both ways - and in the snow too!  :)

Still...hope springs eternal:



 ;D

Renegade:
-- Off-topic - I like the images you've been adding to recent posts!  :Thmbsup: Makes your posts a bit flashier. (Not that you need it though! :) )

40hz:
^Thx! :Thmbsup:

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