The Creators’ Letter to President Obama
Monday, April 20th, 2009 by Patrick Ross
Print This Post
As we said in our statement, it is an honor to be a signatory on today’s letter to President Obama from the broader creative IP community. It is fantastic to be associated with so many defenders of creators’ rights, and it is fantastic to be able to promote creators’ rights without lecturing, cajoling, or berating. Choosing to be patronizing and condescending doesn’t serve one well in the post-partisan world President Obama is endeavoring to create.
One signatory told me, “What I like about this letter is that we aren’t so arrogant as to tell the President how to do his job.”
Spend a moment and look at the signatories. Unions from the audiovisual, music and visual arts industries. Member organizations of individual creators totaling thousands upon thousands of songwriters, photographers, illustrators and filmmakers. Charitable foundations representing the political spectrum. Corporations large and small employing hard-working Americans in large numbers. Trade associations that, when their individual members are combined, represent an incredible swath of the U.S. economy and millions of jobs.
This coalition came together quickly, in response to an April 2 letter to President Obama decrying some of his appointments, informing him of how he had repeatedly erred, and instructing him on how he should behave in the future.
While it would seem to most observers that the letter would not be well regarded or seriously considered, it’s never wise to leave arguments unanswered. So I was happy to work with my members and throw the Copyright Alliance in with this larger coalition.
The Obama Administration has now received confirmation of what it already knew, that there are millions of Americans passionate in their support of creators’ rights and their livelihoods that stem from those rights. This coalition formed quickly, but I suspect the connections will remain, and our numbers will be even larger when the the need arises to act collectively again.
It’s a good day to be a creator.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:18 am
Recently in Seattle you told the FTC how to do its job vis a vis DRM. Last year you told the Supreme Court how to do its job concerning the Cablevision DVR appeal, and you told the Chairman of the FCC how to do his job concerning network neutrality. Was it arrogant, patronizing, or condescending to give your opinion to those public officials?
April 21st, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I agree with John Gordon. This post sounds pretty arrogant to me. I read the April 2 letter you reference and found it to be well reasoned and respectful, contrary to your assertions here. That letter was also rational and mature in tone, unlike your post which is emotional and exaggerated in tone (nevermind the gross ad hominem overtones).
The bottom line is that both letters represent important positions in the copyright dialogue, and the president should hear both arguments. Accusatory posts like this one do little to promote progress in this area.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:44 am
@ John - Why can’t it be a little of all of them?
May 26th, 2009 at 3:54 am
Ha! I am a creator, and this “alliance” is a farce.
Move along folks, all they’re promoting here is increased corporate control over what you’re allowed to create. Along with copyright protection for creators comes copyright liberties for listeners, users, readers, and viewers–WHO ARE ALSO CREATORS and generators of knowledge. WE ARE THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:03 am
[...] in April, the Copyright Alliance joined with forty other unions, artists’ alliances, think tanks, corpor… and his Administration from a similar, narrow-minded attack from some of his [...]