The Copyright Grab.docx
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The Copyright Grab.docx
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TheCopyrightGrab
TheCopyrightGrab
TheClintonadministration,throughitswhitepaperonintellectualproperty,isproposingawholesalegiveawaytoitssupportersinthecopyrightindustry-atyourexpense.
ByPamelaSamuelson
Browsingthroughaborrowedbook,lendingamagazinetoafriend,copyinganewsarticleforyourfiles-allseeminnocuousenough.ButtheClintonadministrationplanstomakesuchactivitiesillegalforworksdistributedviadigitalnetworks.Iflegislationrecommendedinitswhitepaper"IntellectualPropertyandtheNationalInformationInfrastructure"isenacted,yourtraditionaluserrightstobrowse,share,ormakeprivatenoncommercialcopiesofcopyrightedworkswillberescinded.Notonlythat,youronlineserviceproviderwillbeforcedtosnoopthroughyourfiles,readytocutyouoffandturnyouinifitfindsanyunlicensedmaterialthere.Thewhitepaperregardsdigitaltechnologyassothreateningtothefutureofthepublishingindustrythatthepublicmustbestrippedofalltherightscopyrightlawhaslongrecognized-includingtherightsofprivacy.VicePresidentAlGorehaspromisedthattheNationalInformationInfrastructure(NII)willdramaticallyenhancepublicaccesstoinformation;nowwefindoutthatitwillbeavailableonlyonapay-per-usebasis.
WhywouldtheClintonadministrationwanttotransformtheemerginginformationsuperhighwayintoapublisher-dominatedtollroad?
Themostplausibleexplanationisasimpleone:
campaigncontributions.Theadministrationwantstopleasethecopyrightindustry,especiallymembersoftheHollywoodcommunity,whoarevitaltothepresident'sreelectionbid.Andwhatthiscopyrightindustrywantsinreturnismorelegalcontrolthaneverbeforeovertheproductstheydistribute.
TheUSConstitutionempowersCongresstopasslaws"topromoteprogressofscienceand[the]usefularts."Congresshaschosentoaccomplishthisconstitutionalgoalbygrantingauthorsalimitedsetofexclusiverightsintheirworks.Copyrightprotectsalloriginalworksofauthorship,includingsuchthingsaspersonallettersandcorporatememoranda,fromthemomenttheyarefirstfixedinatangibleform.Thisprotectionattachesautomaticallybyoperationoflawandlastsforthelifeoftheauthorplus50years.Inthethreecenturiesofitsexistence,copyrightlawhasfocusedonregulatingpublicandcommercialactivities,suchasthecommercialreproductionofphysicalobjectsembodyingthecopyrightedwork(books,forexample)forintendeddisseminationtothepublic,thecommercialdistributionofphysicalcopiestothepublic,andpublicperformancesofdramas,music,andthelike.(Singingacopyrightedtuneintheshowerisnotaninfringementbecauseitisaprivateperformanceofthemusic.)
Somepublishers,however,wanttocontrolnotonlyallpublicandcommercialusesoftheirworks,butallprivateusesaswell.Theyassertthatthiswouldbetterfulfilltheconstitutionalpurposeofcopyright,becausethegreaterthefinancialreturntothem,thegreaterwillbetheirincentivetomakeworksavailabletothepublic.Proponentsofthisviewsufferedasetbackin1984,whentheSupremeCourtruledintheSonyBetamaxcasethattapingatelevisionprogramfortime-shiftingpurposesintheprivacyofone'sownhomewas"fairuse"(andconsequentlythatSonywasn'tliabletoUniversalandDisneyforcontributorycopyrightinfringementinsellingvideotapemachines).Butthesepublishersfeardigitaltechnologyfarmorethanvideotapemachines.Eversincetheybegantorealizethatdigitaltechnologiescould"free"informationdissemination,theestablishedcopyrightindustryhasbeenshakinginitsboots.Nowagroupofmajormotionpictureproducers,soundrecordingcompanies,andprintpublishershavefiguredoutawaytoturnthethreatofdigitaltechnologyintoanopportunity.Underthisplan,theywouldretainalloftheirrightsunderexistinglawandquietlyattainahostofnewones.
BruceLehman,Clinton'sczarofintellectualpropertypolicyandthepersoninchargeofshepherdingthewhitepaper'sNIICopyrightProtectionActthroughCongress,is,coincidentallyenough,aformercopyrightindustrylobbyist.Lehman-whoseofficialtitlesareassistantsecretaryofcommerce,commissionerofpatentsandtrademarks,andchairoftheIntellectualPropertyWorkingGroupoftheadministration'sNIItaskforce-depictsthechangestocopyrightlawrecommendedinthewhitepaperasminorclarificationsandupdatestoexistinglaw.Theyare,infact,aflagrantgiveawaytothecopyrightindustry,softenedonlybytwopublic-interestprovisionsaddedtomakethepackageappearmorebalancedthanitreallyis.(Oneprovisionwouldexpandlibraryprivilegestomakecopiesofcopyrightedworksforarchivalpurposes,andtheotherwouldpermitnonprofitgroupstodistributeBrailleorlarge-typeeditionsofcopyrightedworksifthepublisherhasneglectedtodosowithinayearofpublicationofthestandardeditionofthework.)
BipartisanbillstoimplementthewhitepaperproposalswereintroducedintheHouse(HR2441)andtheSenate(S1284)inlateSeptember.LehmanandthecopyrightmaximalistsarerelyingonseveralfactorstogetthislegislationthroughCongressbeforethepublicrealizeswhatishappeningandrousesitselftoaction.First,Congressfindsitdifficulttosaynotocopyrightproducers,whoarenotonlyoftenglamorousbutmakeapositivecontributiontotheUSbalanceoftrade(US$45.8billionin1993).Second,manyinfluentialmembersofCongressknowandtrustLehman,whowasaCongressionalstafferbeforehebecameacopyrightlobbyist.Third,copyrighthasbecomesuchacomplexandesotericlawthatmanysenatorsandrepresentatives,aswellasmembersofthepress,willnotbeabletopenetratethe250-page,jargon-riddenwhitepapertolearnthatthereisgoodreasontobeskepticalaboutit.
QuickCongressionalacceptanceofthewhitepaper'slegislativepackagewillhelppersuadecourtstoacceptthewhitepaper'sinterpretationsofexistinglawasakindoflegislativehistoryoftheNIICopyrightProtectionAct.Thus,iftheClintonadministration'slegislativeproposalisadopted,themaximalistsmayfinallygetthelawtheyhavealwayswantedinsteadofthemorelimitedgrantofrightsthattheConstitutionhaslongbeenunderstoodtoauthorize.
Themaximalistagenda
Theeightinterrelatedpartsofthewhitepaper'sagendaintendto:
1.Givecopyrightownerscontrolovereveryuseofcopyrightedworksindigitalformbyinterpretingexistinglawasbeingviolatedwheneverusersmakeeventemporaryreproductionsofworksintherandomaccessmemoryoftheircomputers;
2.Givecopyrightownerscontrolovereverytransmissionofworksindigitalformbyamendingthecopyrightstatutesothatdigitaltransmissionswillberegardedasdistributionsofcopiestothepublic;
3.Eliminatefair-userightswheneverausemightbelicensed.(Thecopyrightmaximalistsassertthatthereisnopieceofacopyrightedworksmallenoughthattheyareuninterestedinchargingforitsuse,andnouseprivateenoughthattheyaren'twillingtotrackitdownandchargeforit.Inthisvisionofthefuture,auserwhohascopiedevenaparagraphfromanelectronicjournaltosharewithafriendwillbeasmuchacriminalasthepersonwhotamperswithanelectricalmeteratafriend'shouseinordertosiphonofffreeelectricity.Ifafewusershavetogotojailforcopyrightoffenses,well,that'sasmallpricetopaytoensurethatthepopulationlearnsnewpatternsofbehaviorinthedigitalage.);
4.Deprivethepublicofthe"firstsale"rightsithaslongenjoyedintheprintworld(therightsthatpermityoutoredistributeyourowncopyofaworkafterthepublisher'sfirstsaleofittoyou),becausethewhitepapertreatselectronicforwardingasaviolationofboththereproductionanddistributionrightsofcopyrightlaw;
5.Attachcopyrightmanagementinformationtodigitalcopiesofawork,ensuringthatpublisherscantrackeveryusemadeofdigitalcopiesandtracewhereeachcopyresidesonthenetworkandwhatisbeingdonewithitatanytime;
6.Protecteverydigitalcopyofeveryworktechnologically(byencryption,forexample)andmakeillegalanyattempttocircumventthatprotection;
7.Forceonlineserviceproviderstobecomecopyrightpolice,chargedwithimplementingpay-per-userules.(Theseproviderswillberesponsiblenotonlyforcuttingoffservicetoscofflawsbutalsoforreportingcopyrightcrimetothecriminaljusticeauthorities);
8.Teachthenewcopyrightrulesoftheroadtochildrenthroughouttheiryearsatschool.
It'shardtofullyappreciatehowsubstantialachangethewhitepaperwouldwreakuponcopyrightlawuntilyougraspthenegativesynergiesamongitseightinterrelatedparts.Thediminishmentoffair-userights,forexample,mightseemlessthreateningwhenviewedinisolationthanwhenviewedinconjunctionwiththewhitepaper'scallforanexpansionofcopyrightownercontroloverbrowsingandtransmissions.
Thecopyrightmaximalistsarealsohopingthatquickadoptionofthewhitepaper'slegislativeproposalswillbeasteppingstonetointernationaladoptionoftheiragenda.BruceLehmanhasalreadyattendedseveralinternationalmeetingsadvocatingtheClintonadministration'scopyrightpackageastherightsetofrulesfortheGlobalInformationInfrastructure(GII).AtmeetingssponsoredbytheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization,Lehmanhasurgedthatthewhitepaper'slegislativeproposalsbeincludedinasupplementaryagreement(knownasaprotocol)tothemajorinternationaltreatyoncopyrightmatters,theBerneConvention.Sinceparticipationintheorganization'smeetingsislimitedtointell
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