Comments on: I signed my first online petition in many years

By: K Harris

K Harris — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:30:22 +0000

I agree with the others Larry, it seems like you've lost the script.

If you are precise enough to want a specific wording on orphaned works legislation, why can't you be precise enough to write your own petition which isn't completely flawed on the purpose of copyright ("eternity?") and the purpose of the legislation (doesn't create a government mandated database to track journalists)?

By: steave

steave — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:22:12 +0000

The act is alternatively known as the sonna bono copyright term extension act.Sonny Bono Act, or pejoratively as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act – extended copyright terms in the United States by 20 years.

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steave
lessig
lessig

By: Former Fan

Former Fan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:26:13 +0000

Larry, I've been a fan of yours for some years. I know you're not a copyright minimalist by any means. But agreeing with this online petition is an amazingly boneheaded stance, and I hope someone with more time than I have corners you and beats some sense into your head. The problem of orphan works is HUGE. The proposed bill is a tiny step in the right direction, that will harm absolutely no one, not one single person. By definition, 100% of people who intend to profit from their automatically copyrighted works will be easy to locate and contact. So will many of the owners of works that have been thrown willy-nilly into the aether. And for those relatively few folks who simply can't be identified from the work..... haven't they volunteered their work for the commons? Shouldn't the commons have some potential to ever reclaim works from the post-1978 years?

Some people are suggesting above that you're just holding out for your proposed "better" solution. I don't think that's the case.

By: David

David — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:08:33 +0000

Larry,

I, too, am more than a little confused as to how you find this petition an acceptable compromise. Could you briefly explain how this helps move things along?

By: John David Galt

John David Galt — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:09:57 +0000

You might want to take another look at that petition, and consider taking your name off.

Paragraph two asserts that an author has the human right to control how his work shall be used, for all eternity!

I'll grant you that copyright ought to be opt-in, and that this bill is too vague about what a "diligent effort" is (though I would simplify it by establishing a central registry, or using an existing one such as the Copyright Clearance Center, and making it sufficient to look in that one place -- it would then be the copyright owner's responsibility to keep his address known to the registry if he wants to keep his IP rights).

But this petition goes directly against everything you fought for in Eldred.

You'd do better to start your own petition, so it says exactly what you want.

By: Handbags

Handbags — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:07:57 +0000

I wouldn't agree on that They have no interest in the plight of orphan works. Because every fact shows that they do have a big interest, you just need to see it deeper. Tha't my personal opinion.

By: Haukur Þ

Haukur Þ — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:31:26 +0000

I agree with the previous commentators, what's going on here? Is this some sort of Leninesque "the worse, the better" move? Even though this legislation is far far from ideal is it really actually worse than the status quo? The status quo is pretty horrible, as you've laid out better than anyone else.

And you can ally yourself with people saying things you're not comfortable with without actually signing petitions you are uncomfortable with.

By: joy g

joy g — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:11:34 +0000

hey again Larry,
I'm having trouble articulating the full import (!!!) of my discomfort regarding the implications of that petition -- it's been bugging me for days. I guess, in the end, since most of us are unable to parse the legal documents themselves, we rely on those experts whose judgment we trust. For those of us who trust you, this is just weird. I know, you're not "keen" on some of the sentiments expressed by the authors of this petition. But these are folks in my own industry that I argue with constantly, and who I find to be generally irrational if not hysterical about what they thinkof as their property. They actually have never heard of Eldred, and have no grasp of the implications of the rollicking takedowns of the DMCA. They have no interest in the plight of orphan works, or in anyone else's plight for that matter, it's all about what they perceive as their freedom and their ownership; they even seem to believe that their own works, remarkably, will be artificially "orphaned" by this legislation. These are the same folks who believe that collage, montage, assemblage and appropriation are "theft." You must be so utterly mortified by these bills to actually sign this petition...

I'm sorry. I'm having a really bad day.

-- J

By: joy g

joy g — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:49:58 +0000

dear Larry,
I guess my feelings on this are close to those of Sam and poptones (above). No doubt there are huge problems with the current orphan works legislation, but the language of this petition makes my skin crawl:

"We believe it is the unalienable right of the individual artist or person to decide how their photographs, illustrations, videos, music or paintings are used for eternity."

As an artist who does not earn any income whatsoever through licensing contracts or royalties, I have a different point of view than the authors of this petition. My personal loyalties tend toward the independent film makers rather than the commercial photographers (for example), and my gut feeling has been to try to at least start on the road toward preserving orphan works.

I find the extremely proprietary sector of the arts community to be troubling for many reasons that I don't need to list here. Don't we all need to relinquish such claims of originality/authorship and the desire to control how our works are re-purposed "for eternity"? This statement and the proprietary zeal behind it seems to go against most everything you stand for (or is it just my perception of that zeal and what you stand for?). I guess, no matter how debased and ineffectual the current bills may be, I can't see validating such a troubling attitude.

respectfully as always,
joy

By: helenchao

helenchao — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:13:07 +0000

Well, I guess this means there will be -no- reduction of copyright in my lifetime, and more and more works will fall into limbo.

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