A friend made a comment to me, though somewhat in jest, that she thought I was too “organized” and “level-headed” to be an artist. I brushed off the remark; she has seen some of my paintings – and likes them – so I know it wasn’t a statement about the quality of my work. I [...]

“We’re returning to a prior age, one where the economics of music are about performances, not recordings. You know, copyright on recorded music is only about 100 years old.” So said a professor at a dinner I attended the other night. I like this professor, he knows a fair amount about copyright (even if his [...]

Like all creative industries, the photography industry is undergoing significant change. Technologies have been of benefit to professional photographers by easing legal distribution and creating new models for licensing, and have helped them to better express themselves in their art. But technologies have also enabled infringement of their works, and have created avenues for less [...]

Free. Friday night dinner in undergrad. My friends and I would hop from one art show opening to another and graze the complimentary cheese and wine table to make an evening dinner. Today I only go to art show openings if I’m interested in the art. I wouldn’t dream of going out of my way [...]

I remember seeing a Seinfeld episode where Kramer – who was always full of brilliant ideas – decided that he wanted to open a make-your-own-pizza restaurant. When he unveils his concept to Jerry, the look on Jerry’s face is one of awe. He says something to Kramer like, ‘the reason why people get pizza is [...]

Today history is in the making. Call me overzealous if you must, but I do believe that today marks a point in history that artists and creators will remember. Over 7,000 artists (and counting) have signed a letter to President Obama and Vice President Biden that calls on the Administration to recognize the important social, [...]

One truism about copyright is that one person’s inconvenience is another person’s absolute must. Passions brew on both sides, this is not new. What is interesting is when people switch sides. One recent example of this involves attorneys Joe Sibley and Kiwi Camara. You may remember these two as the defenders of Jammie Thomas in [...]

We all have different talents. Getting ahead in business and in life is about understanding, harnessing, and utilizing our talents. Those who tend to excel – or climb that ladder – are those who have been able to maximize the potential that their talents bring to the table. I have a friend, an accomplished lawyer, [...]

This summer I’ve finished reading, for the second time, the seven-volume Harry Potter series. (Actually, I’ve read “Half-Blood Prince” three times and “Deathly Hallows” four times now.) I’m not generally one to re-read a book, particularly a novel where I know the ending, but I never tire of discovering the gems J.K. Rowling hides among [...]

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 [...]