A recurring theme in criticism of copyright is that this isn’t really about individual creators. They are merely victims of The Man. Distributors use their market power to maximize profit, and that comes at the expense of creators.
Okay. Any individual creator, unless they occupy the far left of the Pareto Curve up where massive profits [...]

Building on my last post, which focused on the “exclusive right” granted by the first U.S. Congress to authors and inventors, as guided by the U.S. Constitution, let me address briefly the rights that users of creative works often claim for themselves. I am an avid consumer of creative works myself, and understand that it’s [...]

One of the wonderful things about the U.S. Constitution is that it gives lawmakers and judges discretion in application of law. Even strict constructionists have to admit that their interpretation of original intent is in fact an interpretation. I mention this to address the varying interpretations of the Progress Clause — the origin of current [...]

I had lunch last week with Washington, DC-based photographer, instructor, and copyright advocate Sam D’Amico who told me that he discusses copyright with his students on the first day of class. He urges his students to think for themselves about the issue and presents them with this scenario:
If you were completely out of money and [...]

Rowena Cherry is the author of humorous, snarky futuristic romances not set in the future. In this blog, Rowena shares her perspective on copyright infringement and how she handles the illegal file-sharing of her books. Yesterday she spoke about her daily habits, artistic influences, and decisions regarding reader expectation. Visit www.rowenacherry.com for more information [...]

Rowena Cherry is the author of humorous, snarky futuristic romances not set in the future. In this blog, Rowena talks with us about her daily habits, artistic influences, and decisions regarding reader expectation. Also read her perspective on copyright infringement and how she handles the illegal file-sharing of her books.Visit www.rowenacherry.com for more information about [...]

There is no question that in our digital age we find ourselves falling into information traps, where our information sources are restricted to certain perspectives and biases, and our own biases are reinforced. I call these traps digital hollows, and they are unavoidable, but we can try to think beyond them if we remain cognizant [...]

Is our so-called “remix culture” really a new Renaissance of learning and cultural progress? Certain thinkers such as Lawrence Lessig and Yochai Benkler knock vigorously on that door but are wise enough not to walk through. Plenty of bloggers and blog commenters, however, show no fear in ecstatically breaking through that thought barrier. In this [...]

Some of the critics of those of us who believe in creators’ rights sometimes argue we believe that title, and occasionally, when I’m really frustrated with the incredible arrogance and hypocrisy of some of those critics, I might even think that myself. But before you light up the comments field, I am not seriously positing [...]