The Copyright Alliance Thinks It's Bob Marley

Bob Marley’s classic song “One Love” begins:

One love, one heart
Let's get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (One love)
Hear the children crying (One heart)
Sayin', "Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right."
Sayin', "Let's get together and feel all right."

The Copyright Alliance apparently thinks it is channeling Marley’s spirit with its just announced “one voi©e” program to mark the first anniversary of its buffoonish existence. I have previously commented about the clown-like efforts of this group to spread the gospel of ever stronger rights under the guise of "education." But rather than quietly slink away into the shadows from whence it came, the Alliance has attempted to prove it really really is doing something, this time by celebrating its own anniversary. The alliance’s website proudly pronounced yesterday:

“The Copyright Alliance was formed with the singular purpose of serving as a collective voice and advocate on behalf of the 11 million Americans whose livelihoods depend on the principle of copyright,” said Executive Director Patrick Ross. “I can think of no better way to mark this milestone than to launch an effort to bring more individual voices to the discussion.” The Alliance is launching the “one voi©e ” outreach campaign that encourages creators to join the Alliance and “Create your work. Define yourself. Protect your copyrights.” The campaign will include both targeted online outreach and a new presence at key trade shows, festivals and other annual events throughout the year. Individuals who join the effort will have access to a network of other creators concerned about copyright via an interactive members-only web site. The site will also provide helpful resources and information about copyright to creators with questions. … The first stops for the “one voi©e” campaign will include the National Music Publishers’ Association Annual Meeting in New York City in June. Also on the agenda is the Annual Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville in September. Other dates and locations will be added.

One wonders whether the Alliance is contemplating something like the “Straight Talk Express,” and is launching a tour that will meander its way across this great country, charming hard-bitten, cynical authors with its mission of truth, education, and values, Good American values like protecting copyright for large corporations. Perhaps, evangelical-like, Mr. Ross will leap out into the crowds that are sure to form around the bus wherever it appears, invite everyone to form a circle, join hands, and then lead authors in the Alliance mantra: "Create your work. Define yourself. Protect your copyrights,” followed by a (licensed) performance of Marley's "One Love Song." Overcome with emotions, authors will start to talk in tongues, and of course sign up to become members of this new church.

Leaving aside the painfully juvenile use of © in voi©e, the math used by the Alliance challenges even the math used by the IIPA in its annual country “piracy” reports. Did 11 million artists really sign up to be members of the Alliance? Clearly not. Instead the Alliance counts all those who joined other groups that then joined the Alliance, like ASCAP and BMI where composers have to join to receive performance royalties. This is like saying every employee of News Corporation is a Republican because Rupert Murdoch is. How about Madonna, who left her label to sign with a concert promoter? How about Paul McCartney who signed with Starbucks? How about all of the performers who protested in 1999 and 2000 about the RIAA’s sneaking in a change to the work for hire provisions so that artists could then be denied their termination of transfer right, or the artists who also protested RIAA’s efforts to stop them from filing for bankruptcy? How about the television writers who went on strike last winter? The list could go on a very long time. One voice indeed.

One could take the position that if all the member organizations of the Alliance want waste money on such an absurd entity, who cares? But there is one group that might care: all those 11 million individual creators who are paying for it.

There They Go Again: Copyright Alliance and "Education"

I have posted before on the Copyright Alliance's cartoonish efforts to "educate," via propaganda, our nation's children in the ways of content owners. Patrick Ross indeed has a unique definition of education, as seen in his latest effort: sending all 17 presidential hopefuls a questionnaire. Here is a article on the effort from Variety:

An industry-backed organization has asked 17 hopefuls seeking either the Democratic or Republican presidential nomination to explain what they would do, if elected, to promote and protect intellectual property rights.
The Copyright Alliance, whose members include the Motion Picture Assn. of America and the Recording Industry Assn. of America, said it hopes to have replies from all the campaigns by early next year and will make all answers publicly available at a later date.

In a conference call Tuesday with reporters, alliance exec director Patrick Ross acknowledged that with the country facing issues such as the war in Iraq, the mortgage crisis and health care, candidate stands on intellectual property rights aren’t likely to determine voter decisions.

“We’re not pretending our issue is paramount or the only one of concern,” Ross said. But given the significance of intellectual property to the U.S. economy -- accounting for about 13% of it, Ross said -- the issue should merit attention.

Ross emphasized that the questionnaire mailed to the candidates isn’t ultimately intended to single out a particular candidate for endorsement. “We are an educational organization,” he said.

If candidates either don’t reply or give answers that the alliance feels are inadequate, Ross said he and member orgs will “do more to get the word out to candidates and the general public” about the importance of copyright industries.

Here are the questions:

How would you promote the progress of science and creativity, as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution, by upholding and strengthening copyright law and preventing its diminishment?

How do you feel the rights that have served our economy and spurred creativity in the physical world should apply in the digital world?

How would you protect the incentive to create by committing sufficient resources to support effective civil and criminal enforcement of copyright laws domestically and internationally?


How would you ensure inclusion of copyright protections in bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements to protect creators and foster global development?


How would you protect the rights of creators to express themselves freely under the principles established in the First Amendment?

One doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at such inanities. I have bolded only the most obvious of points: all of the questions are so loaded and one-sided as to be a buffoonish caricature of a high school student's efforts to craft an interview. If I were a Presidential hopeful, I would send the questionnaire back blank and say: "If this is your idea of creativity, I would go talk to one of the striking writers; you clearly lack any semblance of creativity yourselves." And I would also suggest Mr. Ross go back to school and get a proper education.