Copyhype

Eleven links for 11/11/11…

Give the Gift of Music — Winning essays from Give the Gift of Music’s autumn contest. Incredibly moving stories of how music and lyrics have inspired and helped others.

Fight for the Future — Worcester Mag profiles the “Fight for the Future” group, which is based in Worcester, MA, and debate over rogue sites legislation. Some quotes from yours truly in there.

Everything looks like a nail: the “social music” fallacy — A thought provoking essay from Fingertips Music. “Music is made to be shared? No, it isn’t. Unless you happen to run a large, international social media company. In which case, everything is made to be shared.”

5 ways we ruined the Occupy Wall Street Generation — It’s from Cracked Magazine, but still pretty observant. Number 2: “Creating the idea that entertainment has no monetary value.” The author writes, “See, when piracy hit Hollywood, they didn’t stop funding blockbusters — they stopped funding edgy, creative movies. They’re going with safer and safer bets. Piracy did that. We got that ball rolling, and there is no going back. Instead of Reservoir Dogs, we get Jack & Jill … and you have no idea how deeply sorry I am for that.”

How movie money works — “When you read articles claiming every Hollywood movie loses money, an obvious question arises: ‘Why do they keep making them, then?'” Screenwriter John August answers this question via podcast. Very informative.

Authors and Book Piracy — Literary agent Rachelle Gardner gives authors information and advice about book piracy.

On rogue websites legislation: when you’ve got them by the bucks, their hearts and minds will follow — Chris Castle, writing at the Huffington Post, ponders about opposition to rogue sites legislation from venture capitalists. “The good guys know that there is a difference between innovation and theft — but while this seems obvious, that distinction seems to be lost in a grandiose belief that the positive effects of crime are justified by ‘innovation’ and ‘Internet freedom.'”

The facts on PROTECT-IP and the Stop Online Piracy Act: What are rogue sites? — Sandra Aistars separates fact from fiction about what types of sites are targeted by legislation in the US House and Senate. Says Aistars, “The bills don’t regulate the Internet. They regulate bad actors.”

Counterfeit Military Parts “Threaten the Safety and Mission Readiness of our Armed Forces” — Counterfeit parts, often defective, are a rising problem in defense supply chains. A recent Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the subject, and rogue sites legislation in the House and Senate include provisions to deal with this problem.

Celebrating the Fortieth Anniversary of Justice Breyer’s Article The Uneasy Case for Copyright — The George Washington Law Review recently held a symposium to celebrate current Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s seminal article written 40 years ago. Six articles, plus an esssay by Breyer himself, are available at the GWLR site. I especially recommend Stan J. Liebowitz’s Is Efficient Copyright a Reasonable Goal?

Drassinower on Copyright Infringement & Compelled Speech — “Copyright infringement is wrong because it is compelled speech.” This academic paper from Abraham Drassinower develops a rights-based justification for copyright as a communicative act. Certainly not light reading, but very interesting.