Thanks to a colleague who is connected to the USPTO, I received the
following, which might be of interest to some who follow copyright issues.
Copyright is important to some for its promise of economic gain, but I do
not believe that the majority of creative individuals rely on copyright law
to feed their creativity or their bodies. All owners should have a say in
any changes that could affect us. The process for obtaining feedback is
obviously underway. I think we should be aware of what might be happening
around us and make our voices and viewpoints heard, too.
______________
USPTO Director’s Forum Blog******
*We Want to Hear from You on Copyright Policies in the Digital
Economy*<http://www.uspto.gov/blog/director/entry/we_want_to_hear_from>
****
*Guest blog by Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs
Shira Perlmutter*****
T
he Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF) last week
issued a green paper on copyright, and I’d like to take a moment to
highlight the paper’s core content and goals. The paper, titled *Copyright
Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital
Economy<http://www.uspto.gov/news/publications/copyrightgreenpaper.pdf>
* (Green Paper), represents the most thorough and comprehensive analysis of
digital copyright policy issued by any administration since 1995. Along
with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA),
the USPTO played a key role in its production, from gathering public
comments starting in 2010 through the paper’s drafting and release.****
The Green Paper calls for new public input on critical policy issues that
are central to our nation’s economic growth, cultural development and job
creation. It is intended to serve as a reference for stakeholders, a
blueprint for further action, and a contribution to global copyright
debates. As promised in the paper, we will soon be reaching out to the
public for views on a variety of topics. Please stay tuned for
announcements about how to share your thoughts, insights, and
recommendations.****
In recent years, the debates over copyright have become increasingly
contentious. Too often copyright and technology policies are seen as pitted
against each other, as if a meaningful copyright system is antithetical to
the innovative power of the Internet, or an open Internet will result in
the end of copyright. We do not believe such a dichotomy is necessary or
appropriate. The goals espoused in the paper— ensuring a meaningful and
effective copyright system that continues to provide the necessary
incentives for creative expression, preserving the technological innovation
and free flow of information made possible by the Internet, and delivering
creative content in the broadest possible fashion to consumers—are ones
that we think can, and must, be accomplished in tandem. ****
By intention, the Green Paper does not set out substantive policy
recommendations, except where the administration is already on record with
a stated position. Rather, it seeks to provide a thorough and objective
review of the lay of the land—describing changes that have already
occurred, identifying areas where more work should be done, and setting out
paths to move that work forward. The paper expresses support for efforts
underway to address some of the open issues in other forums—notably
Congressional attention to music licensing, the Copyright Office’s work on
orphan works and mass digitization, and the Intellectual Property
Enforcement Coordinator’s facilitation of cooperative efforts by
stakeholders to curb online enforcement.****
We appreciate the encouraging words we’ve heard from many stakeholders on
all sides. In the coming weeks, we will begin to move forward on the
specific items outlined in the paper for IPTF action:****
- Establishing a multistakeholder dialogue on improving the operation of
the notice and takedown system for removing infringing content from the
Internet under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). ****
- Soliciting public comment and convening roundtables on: ****
- The legal framework for the creation of remixes—user-generated
content that uses portions of copyrighted works in creative ways. ****
- The relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the digital
age. ****
- The appropriate calibration of statutory damages in the context of
(1) individual file sharers and (2) secondary liability for large-scale
infringement. ****
- Whether and how the government can facilitate the further
development of a robust online licensing environment, including access to
comprehensive public and private databases of rights information. ****
We hope that the full range of stakeholders continue to engage
energetically and productively. To develop the best possible copyright
policy for the Internet, we need to hear from all affected interests,
including those who create works, those who distribute them, and those who
enjoy them.****
http://www.uspto.gov/blog/director/entry/we_want_to_hear_from
_________________
P.S. New on my bookshelf:
http://www.amazon.com/Copyfraud-Other-Abuses-Intellectual-Property/dp/0804760063
)
Copyfraud and Other Abuses of Intellectual Property Law
by Jason Mazzone<http://www.amazon.com/Jason-Mazzone/e/B005OO5OBW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1>
Christine L. Sundt, Editor
*Visual Resources: An International Journal of Documentation *
PO Box 5316
Eugene OR 97405-0316 - USA
phone: 541.485.1420
VR Web site: http://www.mindspring.com/~sundt-vr<http://www.mindspring.com/~sundt-vr/so.htm>
/
csundt(at)mindspring(dot)com or
csundt(at)gmail(dot)com
_______________________________
*VR* 29 1-2 (March-June 2013)
A Special Issue: Digital Art History
Murtha Baca, Anne Helmreich, and Nuria Rodriguez Ortega, Guest Editors
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gvir20/current
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