Copyright and amnesia

Good ol' slashdot has this post about a potential music copyright extension in the UK:

"According to TimesOnLine, the UK is considering doubling the copyright term for popular music to 100 years. That means the Beatles' 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me,' scheduled to go into the public domain in 2013, would earn royalties for record companies until 2063."

These days the copyright debate has become highly polarized. On one side there is the corporate interest that would have everyone pay every time someone listened, looked, backup up, ripped and put on their mp3 player, sampled, used as a cell phone ring tone, shared with their children, brushed up against, or smelled their IP. On the other side is the "all information must be free (free both like beer and Willy)" crowd. This faction is of course known to the other faction in public discourse as "pirates."

We, as a civil society, are in dire need of a re-examination of the roots of copyright law and what exactly it was originally trying to accomplish, because we have clearly forgotten. Robert Thibadeau in a 2004 paper frames the starting point of the discussion quite well, at least from an American stand point. Copyright law needs to balance the following two competing perspectives with the goal of obtaining the greatest possible good for society as a whole:

1. [Congress shall have the power] To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries. (US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8)
2. If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. (Thomas Jefferson, 1813)

Considering these two quotes in light of current events, it is possible to create some striking juxtapositions. It becomes possible to paint American big media, the self proclaimed voice of all that is truly American, as anti-constitutional for seemingly desiring unending exclusive rights to the creations that they own. Similarly, if the earlier mentioned former president uttered his thoughts on ideas today he would be branded a supporter of IP piracy in the public discourse along side of Lawrence Lessig. It goes without saying that neither of these gentlemen deserve this title. To me this indicates that somewhere, somehow, we have gone down the wrong path.

Tags: copyright

Google never forgets

It is interesting to see this post, as tomorrow is the one year anniversary of a local political scandal involving the Google usenet archive, a popular Canadian political blogger, and a young hopeful running for office in the Province of Alberta's legislature. Essentially, the blogger, a certain National Post collumnist Colby Cosh, posted a link to anti-semetic comments that a New Democratic Party candidate, Malcolm Azania, made in a newsgroup 10 years previously. In the end, Azania came in third in his riding.

Tags: google blogs

Aga Khan to become Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada

We are in a period in history where the dialogue regarding Islam, at least in the English speaking world, is preoccupied with fundamentalism. It is refreshing and delightful to see that a prominent figure from one of the countless compassionate and moderate factions of Islam formally recognized. The following is from the citation of the Governor General of Canada:

"Personifying cherished Canadian values, His Highness the Aga Khan has devoted his life to protecting the environment and alleviating human suffering due to poverty. Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims since 1957, he has guided the spiritual growth of his followers, teaching compassion and tolerance by example. In 1967, he launched his foundation, the Aga Khan Development Network, with branches in countries around the world, including Canada. Recognizing our nation's caring spirit, he cites Canada as a role model for the world and has selected Ottawa as the home of a new Global Centre for Pluralism."

The following excerpt from an AKDN page summarizes the Islam of the Shia Imami Ismali Muslims under the Aga Khan's spiritual leadership:

"The Aga Khan has emphasized the view of Islam as a thinking, spiritual faith, one that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds the dignity of man, Allah's noblest creation. In the Shia tradition of Islam, it is the mandate of the Imam of the time to safeguard the individual's right to personal intellectual search and to give practical expression to the ethical vision of society that the Islamic message inspires. Addressing, the International Conference on the Example (Seerat) of the Prophet Muhammad in Karachi in 1976, the Aga Khan said that the wisdom of Allah's final Prophet in seeking new solutions for problems which could not be solved by traditional methods, provides the inspiration for Muslims to conceive a truly modern and dynamic society, without affecting the fundamental concepts of Islam."

Tags: religion pluralism