Grex Cyberpunk Conference

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Grex Cyberpunk Item 131: RIAA buys copyright legislation. [linked]
Entered by gull on Fri May 12 03:07:56 UTC 2000:

The RIAA has managed to get a bill tacked on to an unrelated piece of
legislation in the House that could have serious consequences for anyone in
the music business.  It basically states that all published music is a "work
for hire" and hence owned by the publisher forever, instead of reverting
back to the artist in 35 years.  In other words, unless an artist publishes
their own work, they'll see no benefit from it, ever, except what the record
company chooses to give them.  It's considered pretty much a given that this
will pass the House.  An interview with Don Henley in which he discusses the
bill is at http://wallofsound.go.com/news/stories/donhenley050900.html. 
There's even talk that the bill could be made *retroactive*, ruling that
*all* published music is the property of the record companies.

This is just one more example of how our government will pass any
legislation that's backed up by people with money.  The conspiracy nuts have
it wrong.  It's not a government takeover we have to fear, it's erosion of
our rights through powerful industry lobbies buying legislation for
themselves.

10 responses total.

#1 of 10 by janc on Fri May 12 04:45:43 2000:

I hope those record company execs know how to play a guitar.

#2 of 10 by rcurl on Fri May 12 05:09:10 2000:

Keep in mind which party is promoting these restrictions on the rights of
individuals.

#3 of 10 by jmsaul on Fri May 12 05:23:50 2000:

This would be an incredibly awful amendment.

#4 of 10 by raven on Fri May 12 06:26:25 2000:

Thanks for the heads up on this one.  Now linked to cyberpunk.  j cyber at the
next Ok: prompt your conf to discuss the internet and society.

#5 of 10 by albaugh on Fri May 12 12:48:30 2000:

Yep, we know the dems would never pass any dicey legislation, right rcurl?

#6 of 10 by aaron on Fri May 12 13:35:14 2000:

When it comes to trampling individual rights, the Republicans win, hands
down.

#7 of 10 by jmsaul on Fri May 12 14:08:07 2000:

Though it's a closer contest than that statement implies.  The Democrats
have brought us the CDA and continued draconian regulations on crypto
export up until very recently.

#8 of 10 by aaron on Fri May 12 15:36:10 2000:

Michigan's mini-CDA was a Republican initiative, and the federal statute
was co-sponsored by  Jim Exon, D-Neb., and Slade Gorton, R-Wash. I don't
consider either party to be a defender of free speech on the Internet.

Cryptographic software was classified as a "munition" back in 1984. One
of the loudest opponents to the relaxation of export restrictions was
Senator Richard Shelby, R-Al. I guess technically we could trace the
roots of the restrictions back to the Export Administration Act of 1979,
which would be under Carter's administration, but nonetheless, I don't see
that one party is worse than the other here, either. The new policies are
economically driven, not philosophically driven -- the parties fear losing
key software technology to overseas firms, by preventing export of
competitive software produced domestically. That's hardly an endorsement
of "free speech" rights.

#9 of 10 by pfv on Fri May 12 16:00:06 2000:

        Not as a flame to anyone, but more as a chuckle:

 >the parties fear losing key software technology to overseas firms

        .. is sorta' cute. True, but cute.. I read "government" for
        "the parties", and then I have to grin when I think of all
        the positive/incentive/support the "feds" offer.. I start
        to chuckle in viewing the "feds" as a "shareholder".

        We have M$ being "broken" - and then offering it's own
        "solutions".. We have jobs lost to overseas manufacturing and
        NAFTA, (let alone that west-coast bunch I don't bother to follow).
        We have the MP3-boggle - and a rider that wants to DELETE the
        few protections an artist has.. The CDA, mini-CDA's, an inability
        to die.. The list just rolls on and gets weirder..

        I dunno'.. maybe I'm just morbid or something.. Watching it all
        unfold, I find it so depressing I have to laugh. It's not the
        individual little "tweaks" - it's the overall flailing and
        stall/spin..

#10 of 10 by bdh3 on Mon May 15 10:42:38 2000:

Welcome to Amerika in the 2000s.

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