July 15, 2011
…His name was Robert Taylor. He simply was aware that the statutory limits on The Seasons was up for the last decade leaving it squarely in the public domain. So he decided to reprint his own version at a cheaper price than his competitor – big bad Millar. This didn’t stop the elderly Millar from dragging Taylor to court. Now let us step back and look truly at what is happening at this situation here – for the sake of context. Andrew Millar, a London bookseller monopolist who conspired to contrive a ruling in favor of the monopolists (because the law repeatedly claimed that literature was not property) was claiming ownership of a creative work which he did not create. He claimed this ownership despite the fact that the actual creator had been dead for 20 years. Finally, he claimed ownership when there was no law saying such a thing. It was the purpose for him losing all his countless battles prior to this court case. Yet Andrew Millar was claiming that despite the author being dead, despite the Statute of Anne limit being up, despite having nothing to do with the creation of the work – that he owned it and poor Robert Taylor could not reprint it even after an entire decade had passed since it fell into the public domain…. (Copyright Series Part 10 - The London Booksellers Strike Back)

…His name was Robert Taylor. He simply was aware that the statutory limits on The Seasons was up for the last decade leaving it squarely in the public domain. So he decided to reprint his own version at a cheaper price than his competitor – big bad Millar. This didn’t stop the elderly Millar from dragging Taylor to court. Now let us step back and look truly at what is happening at this situation here – for the sake of context. Andrew Millar, a London bookseller monopolist who conspired to contrive a ruling in favor of the monopolists (because the law repeatedly claimed that literature was not property) was claiming ownership of a creative work which he did not create. He claimed this ownership despite the fact that the actual creator had been dead for 20 years. Finally, he claimed ownership when there was no law saying such a thing. It was the purpose for him losing all his countless battles prior to this court case. Yet Andrew Millar was claiming that despite the author being dead, despite the Statute of Anne limit being up, despite having nothing to do with the creation of the work – that he owned it and poor Robert Taylor could not reprint it even after an entire decade had passed since it fell into the public domain….

(Copyright Series Part 10 - The London Booksellers Strike Back)

3:54pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx78dXrJ
(Notes: 4)
  
Filed under: piracy, copyright public domain andrew millar James Thomson Robert Taylor Millar v. Taylor public domain intellectual property monopolies London booksellers Statute of Anne 
July 8, 2011
…John Maclaurin came into ownership of the Dreghorn Castle which earned him the title Lord Dreghorn when he became a judge, which I’ll admit, is a cooler name than John. Renowned for his legal work, Lord Dreghorn was also an author of both poetry and prose. Lord Dreghorn was one of the earliest responders to combat the concept of literary property. It appears that Considerations… was about the clearly fixed terms of ownership by the Statute of Anne. And according to Professor Johns, Lord Dreghorn “expressly declared that the very existence of public reason depended on the outcome.” In other words – without a limit to copyright there would be no such thing as public reasoning because, I’m assuming, there would be no such thing as a public domain with public knowledge… (Copyright Series Part 9 - The Statute of Anne - A New Hope)

…John Maclaurin came into ownership of the Dreghorn Castle which earned him the title Lord Dreghorn when he became a judge, which I’ll admit, is a cooler name than John. Renowned for his legal work, Lord Dreghorn was also an author of both poetry and prose. Lord Dreghorn was one of the earliest responders to combat the concept of literary property. It appears that Considerations… was about the clearly fixed terms of ownership by the Statute of Anne. And according to Professor Johns, Lord Dreghorn “expressly declared that the very existence of public reason depended on the outcome.” In other words – without a limit to copyright there would be no such thing as public reasoning because, I’m assuming, there would be no such thing as a public domain with public knowledge…

(Copyright Series Part 9 - The Statute of Anne - A New Hope)

11:53am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx6uASuM
July 5, 2011
…While corporations claim mutual benefit in going into countries like Haiti, the reality is that countries like Haiti are vacuums made to manufacture scarcity. This sounds like something a crazy conspiracy theorist would claim, but it’s also just a common tactic employed by capitalists everywhere. In America, there is a swath of land known as the rust belt- a group of cities who lost tons of manufacturing jobs because they were outsourced. Americans were told that their jobs left overseas because people are willing to work for much cheaper than the average American who became too greedy. The people who told Americans this were strong proponents of neoliberal free trade agreements, much like the one that Aristide was pressured into accepting when Clinton reimposed his leadership. Yet, thanks to Wikileaks, we now know that Haiti has been kept in poverty so they will work at a cheaper price than most other nations. Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, and Levis all conspired with the United States government to keep minimum wage down. What does this mean?  On one end, corporations are saying that Americans demand too much money and foreigners will work for cheaper. On the other end, corporations work directly with the government in enforcing as low of a wage as possible in defenseless countries like Haiti. The natural result is the lowering quality of life for Americans and a perpetual state of helplessness for countries like Haiti – that is until countries like America have become so weak, divided, and resource-less that they join the ranks of the Haitians… (Haiti - Civilization’s Blind Spot)

…While corporations claim mutual benefit in going into countries like Haiti, the reality is that countries like Haiti are vacuums made to manufacture scarcity. This sounds like something a crazy conspiracy theorist would claim, but it’s also just a common tactic employed by capitalists everywhere. In America, there is a swath of land known as the rust belt- a group of cities who lost tons of manufacturing jobs because they were outsourced. Americans were told that their jobs left overseas because people are willing to work for much cheaper than the average American who became too greedy. The people who told Americans this were strong proponents of neoliberal free trade agreements, much like the one that Aristide was pressured into accepting when Clinton reimposed his leadership. Yet, thanks to Wikileaks, we now know that Haiti has been kept in poverty so they will work at a cheaper price than most other nations. Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, and Levis all conspired with the United States government to keep minimum wage down. What does this mean?  On one end, corporations are saying that Americans demand too much money and foreigners will work for cheaper. On the other end, corporations work directly with the government in enforcing as low of a wage as possible in defenseless countries like Haiti. The natural result is the lowering quality of life for Americans and a perpetual state of helplessness for countries like Haiti – that is until countries like America have become so weak, divided, and resource-less that they join the ranks of the Haitians…

(Haiti - Civilization’s Blind Spot)

10:18am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx6mxTGo
July 1, 2011
…And there it is, just underneath the surface of the Congressional language of “limited”, the truth of Copyrights successive extensions are clear. Sonny Bono, like Noah Webster, wished for perpetual copyright and obviously it would stay proprietary as it had for 89 years already now. Mary seems a bit bummed that the Constitution forbids perpetual copyright and yet, in the same breath, hails Sonny as an upholder of the Constitution despite his subversive desires. Mary then goes to reference Jack Valenti’s proposition to trick the Constitution. Jack Valenti was the colossus leader for the Motion Picture Association for America who proposed copyright to “last forever less one day.” So on the penultimate day of Armageddon, assuming we are given prior notice, Jack Valenti will bestow us the honor of freely participating in the culture of America – how kind…. (Copyright Series Part 8 - The Tree That Tried to Save Copyright [1998 CTEA])

…And there it is, just underneath the surface of the Congressional language of “limited”, the truth of Copyrights successive extensions are clear. Sonny Bono, like Noah Webster, wished for perpetual copyright and obviously it would stay proprietary as it had for 89 years already now. Mary seems a bit bummed that the Constitution forbids perpetual copyright and yet, in the same breath, hails Sonny as an upholder of the Constitution despite his subversive desires. Mary then goes to reference Jack Valenti’s proposition to trick the Constitution. Jack Valenti was the colossus leader for the Motion Picture Association for America who proposed copyright to “last forever less one day.” So on the penultimate day of Armageddon, assuming we are given prior notice, Jack Valenti will bestow us the honor of freely participating in the culture of America – how kind….

(Copyright Series Part 8 - The Tree That Tried to Save Copyright [1998 CTEA])

12:26pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx6eaieB
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: copyright intellectual property piracy Sonny Bono Jack Valenti Copyright Term Extension Act 1998 CTEA CTEA Sonny Bono Act proprietary copyright 
June 24, 2011
…Abraham Kaminstein [the Register of Copyright] and 5 [before him] had followed in the footsteps of Thor Soldberg before he came to power. A dutiful copyright aficionado, Kaminstein offered his opinion on copyright extension, claiming that the initial 28 year term that had not been changed since Noah Webster’s time should remain, while the renewal gets extended further. This solution would allow America to have reasonably lengthy copyright terms, but only for those creative works worthy of renewing after 28 years. This way, most work would fall into the public domain after 28 years and profitable works, like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny can remain behind shatterproof glass with the public  pawing at the window, pushing dollars into the maw of capitalism for the profitable extended length of time. But then something very strange happened, Abraham Kaminstein changed his mind. His words changed to urgency of meeting international standards because of potential profit loss of publishing speed in the late 20th century…  it was Abraham Kaminstein who was the man largely credited with making the majority of the 1976 Act provisions under his 1960 – 1971 reign. As the 1976 Congressional hearings imminently moved the 1976 Act towards the pen of Gerald Ford with 1 lifetime + 50 years as the minimum copyright provision, it was Abraham Kaminstein, recently stepped down from Register of Copyrights due to illness, that had fully transformed his copyright views to align with the proprietary and perpetual standards that we see today… (Copyright Series Part 7)

…Abraham Kaminstein [the Register of Copyright] and 5 [before him] had followed in the footsteps of Thor Soldberg before he came to power. A dutiful copyright aficionado, Kaminstein offered his opinion on copyright extension, claiming that the initial 28 year term that had not been changed since Noah Webster’s time should remain, while the renewal gets extended further. This solution would allow America to have reasonably lengthy copyright terms, but only for those creative works worthy of renewing after 28 years. This way, most work would fall into the public domain after 28 years and profitable works, like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny can remain behind shatterproof glass with the public  pawing at the window, pushing dollars into the maw of capitalism for the profitable extended length of time. But then something very strange happened, Abraham Kaminstein changed his mind. His words changed to urgency of meeting international standards because of potential profit loss of publishing speed in the late 20th century…  it was Abraham Kaminstein who was the man largely credited with making the majority of the 1976 Act provisions under his 1960 – 1971 reign. As the 1976 Congressional hearings imminently moved the 1976 Act towards the pen of Gerald Ford with 1 lifetime + 50 years as the minimum copyright provision, it was Abraham Kaminstein, recently stepped down from Register of Copyrights due to illness, that had fully transformed his copyright views to align with the proprietary and perpetual standards that we see today…

(Copyright Series Part 7)

12:34pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx6PQXV5
(Notes: 5)
  
Filed under: 1909 1909 Copyright Act 1976 copyright act Abraham Kaminstein Kaminstein Berne Convention intellectual property copyright piracy 
June 22, 2011
The last space shuttle, Atlantis, is due to fly in a couple weeks effectively ending the space shuttle program. Clearly this leaves us questioning the priorities of the United States, particularly when the NASA budget (as with every other budget) is drawfed by the American military budget. The democracy of my country is coming perilously close to crumbling and one steely ring from the death bell of democracy is the final flight of the space shuttle program set for July 8, 2011…. So briefly then, I just want to remember when I still lived in a country that had an active shuttle program and think about it for a moment. [The Importance of Space Programs (Ode to the Space Shuttle)]

The last space shuttle, Atlantis, is due to fly in a couple weeks effectively ending the space shuttle program. Clearly this leaves us questioning the priorities of the United States, particularly when the NASA budget (as with every other budget) is drawfed by the American military budget. The democracy of my country is coming perilously close to crumbling and one steely ring from the death bell of democracy is the final flight of the space shuttle program set for July 8, 2011…. So briefly then, I just want to remember when I still lived in a country that had an active shuttle program and think about it for a moment.

[The Importance of Space Programs (Ode to the Space Shuttle)]

11:03am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx6Ko9F5
(Notes: 8)
  
Filed under: Discovery, space space shuttle shuttle program NASA Carl Sagan Sagan Atlantis Endevour Enterprise Columbia Challenger Challenger disaster Hubble Hubble Space telescope 
June 17, 2011
The Berne Convention is currently what governs international copyright law. When it was created… No historic heated debate took place, no clashing of copyright philosophies, no rumination of the subtle complexities we have come to realize copyright holds right beneath the surface, certainly no premonition of 95% of all creative works being orphaned. If anything, there was a collective sigh of authorial relief in Europe with 2 token countries – Haiti and Tunisia – also bound. The iron fist of empire would also force the European colonies to follow with the outcome of the Berne Convention whether they liked it or not. Now any author who writes for 1 of these countries can collect copyright revenue from all of these countries. And this, not the finer points of copyright debate, seemed to be the issue that was happily settled. (Copyright Series Part 6)

The Berne Convention is currently what governs international copyright law. When it was created… No historic heated debate took place, no clashing of copyright philosophies, no rumination of the subtle complexities we have come to realize copyright holds right beneath the surface, certainly no premonition of 95% of all creative works being orphaned. If anything, there was a collective sigh of authorial relief in Europe with 2 token countries – Haiti and Tunisia – also bound. The iron fist of empire would also force the European colonies to follow with the outcome of the Berne Convention whether they liked it or not. Now any author who writes for 1 of these countries can collect copyright revenue from all of these countries. And this, not the finer points of copyright debate, seemed to be the issue that was happily settled.

(Copyright Series Part 6)

11:02am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx6Aj3eG
Filed under: Berne Convention copyright international copyright policy France right of the author piracy intellectual property 
June 15, 2011
In my eternal quest in searching for the best humanity has to offer I have come across this little known disaster relief team. They’re called Global D.I.R.T. (Disaster Immediate Response Team). I first heard of them from my friend who went to Haiti to cover the earthquake. He claimed that Global D.I.R.T. was so effective that they could do with $1 what the Red Cross would need $100 for…. (Global D.I.R.T.)

In my eternal quest in searching for the best humanity has to offer I have come across this little known disaster relief team. They’re called Global D.I.R.T. (Disaster Immediate Response Team). I first heard of them from my friend who went to Haiti to cover the earthquake. He claimed that Global D.I.R.T. was so effective that they could do with $1 what the Red Cross would need $100 for….

(Global D.I.R.T.)

4:43pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx67FiMQ
Filed under: Global D.I.R.T., disaster relief red cross 
June 13, 2011

The bailout from the financial crisis… cost was over 4 1/2 trillion dollars and cost more than the Marshall Plan, Louisiana Purchase, moonshot, S&L bailout, Korean War, New Deal, Iraq War, Vietnam War, and NASA’s lifetime budget combined. What is worse is that anybody who is educated about this bailout money understands that this was 1. Avoidable 2. Criminal and 3. Still largely unaddressed. Using any logic that a Conservative proponent of private industry would say about the entitlement of the poor on welfare can now be equally used on private, deregulated, “free” market corporations (free only for those who hire politicians apparently)….

(Bring the Money Home)

12:14pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx62sXLi
(Notes: 8)
  
Filed under: financial crisis bailout corporations general electric 
June 10, 2011
In a functional copyright system most copyrighted works would be commercially available. After all, what is the point of an out-of-print book being copyrighted? What is the point of a copyrighted movie with no copies for viewing? What is the point of a copyrighted song with no ability to listen to it? Originally, the purpose of copyright was to allow the publication of your work under your terms. And once the work was publicized, then it became a part of culture. When a part of culture (like a book) went out-of-print because it was unprofitable for the publisher, then regulatory copyright would let a lower-level publisher step in and reprint the work. This way, the part of culture (the book) would remain publicly available and stimulate competition in the market. The profit would be marginal in comparison to the original publisher, but that contribution to our national or global culture survives. The author gets to go down in history to be pored over with delight by the children of the future. You know, rather than sitting on a shelf in a warehouse somewhere waiting for its sesquicentennial release to the public. Unfortunately, under our current proprietary copyright it is this latter scenario that we’ve embraced…. (Copyright Series Part 5)

In a functional copyright system most copyrighted works would be commercially available. After all, what is the point of an out-of-print book being copyrighted? What is the point of a copyrighted movie with no copies for viewing? What is the point of a copyrighted song with no ability to listen to it? Originally, the purpose of copyright was to allow the publication of your work under your terms. And once the work was publicized, then it became a part of culture. When a part of culture (like a book) went out-of-print because it was unprofitable for the publisher, then regulatory copyright would let a lower-level publisher step in and reprint the work. This way, the part of culture (the book) would remain publicly available and stimulate competition in the market. The profit would be marginal in comparison to the original publisher, but that contribution to our national or global culture survives. The author gets to go down in history to be pored over with delight by the children of the future. You know, rather than sitting on a shelf in a warehouse somewhere waiting for its sesquicentennial release to the public. Unfortunately, under our current proprietary copyright it is this latter scenario that we’ve embraced….

(Copyright Series Part 5)

12:29pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z3BnTx5yjfqK
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: copyright intellectual property moral rights piracy statute of anne 
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