> From: MJ Ray > What a shame that the ORG is now running campaign events for copyright extension! The correct answer to: > > > Should the term of copyright protection on sound recordings stay at 50 years or be extended?
The answer is the same as to the question raised by the Titanic's purser when the ship hit an iceberg: "Should passengers be given their statutory compensation for curtailed cruise, or given the company's lack of foresight should it be doubled?" Let's extend copyright another century. Why not? Give the industry a warm feeling before it becomes irrelevantly immersed in the icy waters of instantaneous diffusion. The question demonstrates an ignorance that won't be enlightened by an answer. Enlightenment lies in asking precursor questions, i.e. "Should there be any term to copyright?", "Is there anything about copyright that is of value to society?", "When should we abolish copyright?", "How do we get from now to the day when copyright is abolished?", "How do artists and audiences exchange art for money without copyright?", etc. The Titanic's purser simply could not conceive of a submarine future, and consequently could not come up with suitably strategic questions, e.g. "Where the heck is the nearest lifeboat?" Let me know when people start asking questions about lifeboats, ok? ;-) _______________________________________________ fc-uk-discuss mailing list fc-uk-discuss@lists.okfn.org http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/fc-uk-discuss
