Negative Space: copyright
- (Un)happy birthday, WKRP in Cincinnati!
- Under a reasonable copyright law, the rules of the game would not have been changed after play began. If we need longer copyright terms for future works, that’s one thing, but don’t break the contract with the public by extending copyright terms we’ve already paid for.
- Apple’s new Music Store ringtone policy
- I had started to consider purchasing digital downloads instead of CDs, but because download restrictions change too easily CDs remain a far better choice for me.
- Artist responds to Bill Gates
- Artist Wiley Wiggins responds to Bill Gates’s mischaracterization of copyright reform.
- Copyright and role-playing games
- Open source is especially important for computer code because copyright for computer code completely subverts the point of copyright.
- Copyright for Filmmakers
- Keith Aoki, James Boyle, and Jennifer Jenkins have written a comic book about the impact of out-of-control copyright demands on documentaries.
- Copyright law worse than anachronistic
- Our current copyright law, says the Economist, is worse than anachronistic--because the anachronistic law is better than current law.
- Copyright reform: Republican principles in action?
- Their initial copyright policy brief was a brilliant example of how Republicans could tie small government and freedom to actual, concrete policy changes that will help the average person—while at the same time cutting the rug from under their traditional anti-freedom enemies. It was far too smart to last.
- Copyright: A Broken Contract with the Public
- Copyright laws give special monopolies at the public’s expense, with none of the recompense to the public that once was promised.
- Face the Music
- MP3s are not the cause of the recording industry’s decline, they are the reason the recording industry remains afloat. The more successful the industry is in blocking open audio formats, the more the industry will decline in the long-term.
- Gaming Law
- Role-Playing, About Gaming, Role-Playing Defense, Gaming Law
- How not to convince your reps
- Copyright reform is likely to go the way of medical marijuana unless its supporters are willing to vote for candidates that do something about it.
- Listen to the Music
- Apple’s new music store is a great step forward for music lovers, but it’s still a long ways from making music downloads as useful as buying a CD.
- Load up on virtual cyclone ammo!
- Watch out for the copyright cops: President Clinton wants to make every web page access be a copyright violation.
- MP3tunes.com: consumer-friendly music
- A new music download site from MP3.com founder Michael Robertson promises restriction-free, consumer-friendly music and more money for artists.
- Muppets DVD falls to copyright issues
- The Muppets DVD cuts several scenes, almost all of which are musical scenes.
- Obligatory Anti-DIVX Editorial
- While researching the purchase of a DVD player, I also researched the usefulness or lack thereof of the DIVX format.
- Three Orcs Walk Into a Bar
- Three orcs walk into a bar to have a discussion about copyright and trademark law.
- TSR Legal Debate
- A compilation of the debate concerning the rights of fans of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying Game System to distribute fan-authored, AD&D-related works free of charge vs. TSR’s rights to safeguard its trademarks and copyrights by controlling all such distribution.
- VidAngel: Here We Go Again
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Is VidAngel breaking the law with their streaming filter service? The answer may hinge on a long-standing misunderstanding of how copyright law applies to copies.
- Why do we need open source games?
- If game rules cannot be copyrighted, and if compatible supplements require no permission, what is the point of an open content game book? Over the next three installments, I’ll look at how open content licenses can make for better gaming.
- A writer’s will
- Neil Gaiman and Miss Snark encourage even unpublished writers to make known their desires with regard to their writings. Mine will be transferred to an open license within five years after I die.
More Information
- Eldred v. Ashcroft
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The Eldred v. Ashcroft copyright extension case is unfortunately a long-shot, but it is extremely well reasoned.
- Part 1: Copyrightability of RPG Stat Blocks
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“WotC has a history of taking advantage of gamers’ ignorance of contract and intellectual property law and lack of wealth when making similar demands, thus harming the gaming community and industry, so it’s time those issues are addressed.”
- Rip. Mix. Burn
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“It’s your music. Burn it on a Mac. Dig?”
