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CPSR Newsletter Fall 1997

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A Review of the "Compensating Creators & Maximizing Access" Panel
Bruce Hartford
National Writers Union
Pam Samuelson
Bolt School of Law, UCB

by Chris Mays

CPSR News Volume 15, Number 4: Fall 1997

Hartford says the debate over copyright in the digital age is framed as consumers vs. publishers, leaving the authors who create intellectual property on the outside. The digital revolution is on a par with the Gutenberg, but so far this one is an economic coup d'etat by the Information Barons, with help from the government. It's less a Superhighway than a Plantation, and to keep writers from becoming info-peons, Hartford advances this manifesto: -- Reading is not a crime; -- Creators have a right to earn a living; -- Free-lance voices are necessary.

Samuelson says our publishing paradigm is eroding, but the new status quo hasn't been born. The old reproduction bottlenecks are gone, everything seems to be a copy, and content providers are panicing. We have to imagine the world we want, and push for it. Some points: Writers have to live; We need a robust marketplace of ideas, new and public domain; Copyright is the engine of expression; We must define zones of responsible use; Authors need fair use; Ideas are not property; A warning: beware the trusted system.

Chris Mays
cmays@thecity.sfsu.edu
Secretary, Berkeley Chapter, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

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