tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post4014933253277198497..comments2024-03-15T11:42:21.265-04:00Comments on The Patry Copyright Blog: There the RIAA goes againWilliam Patryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987498082479617363noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-86703607139105821772008-02-03T08:02:00.000-05:002008-02-03T08:02:00.000-05:00Or, in a spirit of egalitarianism, everyone could ...Or, in a spirit of egalitarianism, everyone could have worn a bag over their heads.William Patryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12987498082479617363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-16430785008525069812008-02-03T02:52:00.000-05:002008-02-03T02:52:00.000-05:00anonymous wrote:. . . And all those law students ...anonymous wrote:<BR/><BR/>. . . And all those law students from the Berkman Center at Harvard, the well-funded Bezerkeley crowd and the Lessig half of the Stanford IP department might have put on one heck of a rally, I suppose, full of beautiful young people that might have been a distraction.<BR/><BR/>__________<BR/><BR/>Perhaps the Register could have used an advanced screening process to avoid this problem: only ugly people allowed? Might have achieved transparency while still keeping everyone on task. Kind of like the antithesis of how the presidential candidates pick their backdrop of supporters for their primary speeches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-31877941612727781172008-02-01T12:29:00.000-05:002008-02-01T12:29:00.000-05:00I trust I am not the only one who finds it unattra...I trust I am not the only one who finds it unattractive to hear about yet another closed-door, invitation only roundtable discussion held under the auspices of The Library of Congress under the cover of a legislative inquiry that can skirt the requirements of open government. The Copyright Office is well intentioned but it consistently acts in the interests of those with whom it consorts most. That happens to be music companies that register tons of works - - I believe many more than any other sector. I don't mean to say it has a bias with intent - - but it has a bias in fact. Another Register might have said: "Let's have an open roundtable." <BR/><BR/>There is convenience in keeping out the rabble; in this instance people (actual humans) who actually have been punished by excessive statutory damage awards or artists and authors of all three stripes ("the air is free and so am I;" I'm U2 and I deserve everything I can get for being U2 because I am so special and red;" "can't we all just get along and could someone please give me a publishing deal?" And all those law students from the Berkman Center at Harvard, the well-funded Bezerkeley crowd and the Lessig half of the Stanford IP department might have put on one heck of a rally, I suppose, full of beautiful young people that might have been a distraction.<BR/><BR/>But convenience that breeds secrecy and that results in ex-post-facto battling versions of what went on seems counter-productive no matter how civil the roundtable itself had been and no matter how masterful the host.<BR/><BR/>The Copyright Office did this behind the door stuff for years with the music publishers, the record companies and various DiMA people over mechanicals all to no avail and all wasting taxpayer money on three groups least likely to deserve even one penny of it. I suspect, by the way, that this most recent roundtable had a silent agenda of attempting to convince the RIAA to "give it up, already!" But I, for one, would have been delighted and would remain delighted to see the RIAA crash and burn in Congress and in public on this one. They don't have that much political capital left, they mis-spent much of what they had on mis-begotten Luddite efforts aimed at new distribution platforms that could have saved their asses and advanced all artists and they are loosing their own financial base of support, certainly among the new leaders of EMI. I am flabbergasted they would waste whatever dry powder they have remaining on this kind of a shot. There are more important battles to come for their industry.<BR/><BR/>Fortunately, Prof. Patry's virtual roundtable remains secret by election or I never would have been able to post this screed. LOLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com