UK Reviewing Copyright Laws 179
Uebergeek writes "It looks like the UK is going to be reviewing its copyright laws. Prime Minister David Cameron specifically cites the US's Fair Use doctrine as something they wish to incorporate into their own laws... apparently they wish to 'encourage the sort of creative innovation that occurs in America.' One can only assume that they've been missing the continual assault on the Fair Use doctrine here in the States."
Re:Better idea (Score:2, Interesting)
I'd second that. Though aspects of Canada's laws are 'slightly' outdated. For example the tariff on cd's - i seldom use cd's for much other than burning a copy of a linux distro.
Canada's on the right track though.
Now, if they put the tariff on ipods/mp3 players/media enabled phones it might work better with the times. People wont appreciate the cost though.
Re:Better idea (Score:3, Interesting)
No perhaps they won't like it, but at least the extra cost might offset the additional expenses associated with police investigations of auto accidents caused by drivers using such devices while they are behind the wheel.
Starts good end bad. (Score:4, Interesting)
ACTA Sweetner Anyone (Score:5, Interesting)
ACTA Sweetner(TM) guaranteed no calories and no teeth.
Cameron says, "So I can announce today that we are reviewing our IP laws, to see if we can make them fit for the internet age." However, he fails to mention that they are already "reviewing" the UK copyright laws under the veil of ACTA and in secret. This is just a bit of fluff to remove some heat from what is already a done deal.
Re:Great (Score:4, Interesting)
kudos to the first country to adapt a voluntary collective licensing system as a tax.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntary_Collective_Licensing [wikipedia.org]
20 bucks a year per capita = no more damn bs
Re:Great (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't hold your breath. He's a Conservative. Note that everything he said was to make things better for business. It's unlikely to end up a positive thing for the people.
Um, unless you want to live as a hunter-gatherer, you kinda need business. Now, BIG BUSINESS, ie the multi-national corporations, need curtailing. Those guys are unscrupulous.
In Victorian England it was the mill-owners that opened the schools and hospitals and provided cheap housing for their workers, because it was ultimately beneficial to the business. Similarly, loosening the noose on copyright isn't so much to help the man in the street, it's to help the entrepreneur in the street make money, any benefit to the hobbyist is just trickle-down. But it's all good.
Re:yes! (Score:3, Interesting)
Maybe tabloids, so wildly popular in the UK, could franchise in the US. National Enquirer quality journalism combined with bad puns in every single headline = win.
Only in Israel, maybe (Score:5, Interesting)
After a little research, it seems to me that Israel is the first (and only) nation in the world where "fair use" is possibly a "right" [ericgoldman.org] (see the section titled ' New User "Rights" ').
This is since Sept. 2009. My impression is that the decision has been appealed but hasn't been heard yet. I wouldn't be surprised if Obama's administration wouldn't have a few (unofficial) things to say to the Israeli government when the appeal comes up in the Israeli courts.
Re:Cameron? (Score:2, Interesting)
Bear in mind that Cameron's party (Conservatives) didn't form the government. They are in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, and EVERY Lib-Dem MP voted against the Digital Economy Bill which strengthened copyright enforcement.
Re:Cameron? (Score:1, Interesting)
You're wrong on most what you say. ;).There's a very funny interview with Alberto Alesina (an italian professor of economics at Harvard) that states that after decades in the US he suddenly feels like at home about politics (and of course doesn't like it at all).Too bad I lost the link, and was in Italian anyway.
First of all, the decline of lower wages in western world has little to do with politics and a lot with growth of emerging economies.The world as large is better off, and almost surely western countries are better off too, but the low wage workers in western countries are losing much of theyr purchasing power. The only way out is to stop trading, but it's a cure worse than the disease.
Second, conservativer in the '80s basically saved the country from bancrupcy and permanent recession.It's been tough for many people, but they would be much worse off now if this didn't happen.
Also, while you might be right on the intentions and final outcome, don't forget that the main lobbyst for the media industry in the UK, Mandelson, sits on the other side.
Last thing: I'm Italian, and we'v been ruled by kleptocrats for ages, so your claim for a patent is invalidated by prior art
MOD PARENT UP (Score:3, Interesting)
While we're here thinking how good this is that we will be able to post reviews of films,games and music on our blogs and not get takedown notices. But what this really means is that shitty british TV that does no original thinking (the news channels just report what they read on twitter) will just compile youtube videos and such without having to pay or ackowledge anyone. Which in a nice rounded world of share-alike licenses may seem all groovy, until you realize they're surrounded by adverts and on subscription channels. Heck, they'll probably even advertise it as a kind of internet summary show so that you don't have to go to the effort, risk viruses or bumping into paedos, etc. And the dumbass british public will probably lap it up.
Also if the law becomes "using less than one minute of footage" from any source but your hilarious slapstick youtube video is only 59 seconds long they'll be able to lift the whole thing. Again, in the world off CC this might not be too bad, but woe betide you if you accidentally use 1:01 of a clip from a commercial movie in your review because the law is clear and you'll go to jail. Of course if a big media company slips up in the same way they'll only get a letter from OfCom about it.
Re:Perhaps (Score:3, Interesting)
"we can deport Glen Beck"
More likely he'll come voluntarily.. Your master (Murdoch) is just about to be allowed to takeover our biggest almost independent satellite channel and turn it into the UK's version of Faux News.
Re:Great (Score:3, Interesting)
There are Liberal Democrats before the election, and there are Liberal Democrats now. In opposition, they were a noble party, standing up for peoples rights. Now, not only are they going along with Tory policy, their ministers are implementing Tory policy. There is virtually nothing left of the noble ideals of before.
The instant change is a wonderful demonstration of how power (and the hunger for it) corrupts.
Fair use follows from free press (Score:3, Interesting)
they might even enshrine fair use as a right.. rather than merely as a "defense"
When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld serial extension of the copyright term in Eldred v. Ashcroft, the opinion of the Court included a section strongly implying that were it not for the fair use defense, copyright would violate the First Amendment. This suggests at least that freedom of the press implies fair use.
Re:Great (Score:3, Interesting)
There was a massive range of setups, plans and living environments. Obviously there was some extremely greedy and extremely generous mill owners (and a variety in between). But even that over-simplifies the situation as out of the need to support their workforce (e.g. providing schools, hospitals etc) many (e.g. http://www.robert-owen.com/ [robert-owen.com]Robert Owen) encouraged community involvement and personal self-improvement, for the purpose of creating a vibrant, content and sustainable workforce rather than direct profit. Over time co-operative employer-employee agreements developed and these helped pave the way for socio-economic theories like socialism and communism - developed by Marx and Engels whilst living in Victorian England.
Re:Great (Score:3, Interesting)
You'll note that even the biggest busts, e.g. the seizure of 30 tons of cannabis last week in San Diego, seem to have no effect whatsoever on either supply or pricing.
I don't think you can claim it has no effect on pricing. Cannabis does not cost anywhere near $60 per 1/8 oz to produce and transport but that seems to be the going rate around these parts. The cost of hiding from law enforcement and dealing with police raids/theft/etc is included in the current street price. If cannabis was legalized tomorrow prices would drop by a non-zero amount. At least until the Government got it's dirty paws in the game and started taxing it :)
The fact is that we want laws to protect property and business models.
Agreed that we need laws to protect property rights, but not business models. The marriage between big business and government is destructive to society and hinders economic growth by propping up failed business models that would otherwise be swept away in the creative destruction of capitalism.
Re:Cameron? (Score:3, Interesting)
Your comment is just a concatenation of conservative talking points. Wages and jobs have not declined in major western powers such as France and Germany which still retain functional governments based on real social contracts. Shame on you for believing the free trade propaganda.