White House Copyright Czar Jumps to Industry Anti-Piracy Group

[Newsjock]

Source: Wired

Victoria Espinel, the nation’s copyright czar until two weeks ago, has been named president of an anti-piracy trade group that lobbies governments on behalf of the software industry.

Espinel resigned earlier this month from the key White House post she’d held for four years. The Software Alliance, which goes by the acronym BSA, announced today that Espinel was named president of the group that bills itself as “the world’s premier anti-piracy organization.”

... Espinel is best known for playing an active role in secret negotiations between Hollywood, the recording industry and ISPs to disrupt internet access for users suspected of violating copyright law under an initiative generally known as “six strikes.”

... But Espinel is best known for her cozy relationship with Hollywood and the music industry’s lobbying arms to facilitate the crafting of an historic anti-piracy agreement among the nation’s largest consumer internet providers, including AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon.

Read more: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/08/espinel-becomes-bsa-president/

[NYC_SKP]

1. I no longer believe in Copyrights and Patents.

Because any disputes are won by the party with the biggest bank account.

Instead, I support full open source and free sharing of intellectual property and creative works.

[Ms. Toad]

4. Well -

Both are protected by the constitution. Congress can place limits on them, but short of a constitutional amendment they are here to stay.

You can easily make your own stuff open source, and freely share your IP. You can also at least try to require anyone providing you with IP voluntarily to grant a broad license. But the problem comes when the person who owns the IP you want to share doesn't agree that their IP is up for grabs. It may have been incorporated by the person you acquired it from. It may be alleged to be covered by a patent you don't know about. In either of those cases - or other circumstances in which you unwittingly acquire IP which someone else believes is theirs - you are still stuck with the party with the biggest bank account often (not always) wins.

Your best bet is to get together with similar minded folks and lobby congress for more equitable limits on the constitutional rights to patents and copyrights, and mechanisms for resolution which are less dependent on money than the current ones. At least that doesn't requires a multi-step process including ratification by 2/3 of the states.

[defacto7]

5. I agree with you

at heart. But the whole copyright/patent thing has been hijacked and we have to get it back. It was made to protect the little guy and it's been slowly, carefully, stolen.

I do all open source... no exceptions... and I run a lot of machines.

[jsr]

2. We need the NSA to get up to speed on this copyright stuff

and help enforce the new legislation she'll be proposing.

[Downwinder]

3. What are the revolving door policies of this Administration?