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Internet Freedom Is Slavery?

By on July 5, 2012 9

According to a leaked report (see here and here; CHT Brandon), the Campaign for Liberty’s upcoming internet freedom manifesto condemns as an “insidious” and “pernicious” form of “internet collectivism” the view that “what is considered to be in the public domain should be greatly expanded.” Bizarrely, they toss opposition into IP into a list of proposals for government intervention.

Hey, C4L: refraining from censorship and protectionism is not a form of government intervention. For the libertarian case against IP, check out the Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom and the Molinari Institute’s anti-copyright page.

Aragorn! Anarchy! Action!

By on March 17, 2012 10
pubkeeper Bilbo trying to make sense of threatening legal missive from Mordor

pubkeeper Bilbo trying to make sense of threatening legal missive from Mordor

The copyright orcs at the Saul Zaentz Company were trying to shut down a pub named after The Hobbit, but thanks to enormous internet backlash, including Hobbit actors Ian McKellen (“as if it were possible to control the way Tolkien and his characters have entered the culture”) and Stephen Fry (“what pointless, self-defeating bullying”), as well as a facebook support page set up by student Heather Cartwright (“how long do we need to protect works for? do we protect the works of Mozart and Shakespeare?”), the orcs have backed down, saying it was all a “misunderstanding,” and the pub now need only pay a tribute of $100 a year – which is still too much (the right to freedom of speech shouldn’t come with a pricetag), but it’s a lot better than being forced to change their name or go out of business.

It’s good to see that concerted activism can succeed in shaming these companies out of their cyberbullying. And it’s more evidence for the strategic effectiveness of direct action over legislative reform.

The Girl With the Xeroxed Tattoo

By on March 6, 2012 0

Warner Bros. is “ditching its drama pilot about a crime-solving girl hacker who teams up with a male police detective,” because Sony Pictures is “threatening legal action over similarities” with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Barbara Gordon

Attempts to decrease the similarities by “turning the white male cop into a black female lawyer and giving the loner hacker a boyfriend” apparently weren’t good enough, because “the series is based around [sic] a hacker.”

Wtf? Sony claims ownership of the mere concept of having a hacker as a main character?

Or is it just that it’s a female hacker? Maybe DC comics should be suing Sony then.

In related news, the Moffat-Vertue axis is still sabre-rattling against CBS for daring to imitate the idea of an updated Sherlock Holmes series.

Now I love the hell out of Sherlock, and I doubt that CBS’s effort will even remotely measure up. But before the BBC folks decide to resort to violence over this, they might remember that the idea of Holmes-in-the-present-day is not exactly one they invented.

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