Intellectual Property Law

Whereas Cory Thinks We're At War

By Posted by Alan Wexelblat

Unlike Fred Von Lohmann's optimistic take on things, over at The Guardian (UK) Cory Doctorow's latest column rails about the fact that we're at war. Which is, yanno, more or less what I've been saying for the last 5+ years in this blog. Cory's pissed that the Cartel just won a big battle in the Copyright Wars over in the UK. But it's still just one more battle in this protracted struggle.

Unlike, apparently, most Copyfighters, I've never thought a negotiated peace was possible. The Cartel just thinks too differently, and has wholly incompatible motives, for a negotiated solution. There are only three possible outcomes - subjugation that will kill off the subjugated technology (RIP DAT), the death of the Cartel dinosaurs (RIP pretty much every retail music outlet, half the major labels, most newspapers and on and on), and the outcome that gives me the most hope, which is the growth of a new generation that views this fight as uninteresting and irrelevant. That generation will rip, mix, and share because it's what they've always done.

The laws and regulations, the FUD, the technological shenanigans can make it harder but you cannot sue, scare, or legislate culture out of existence. Not if you're the Chinese government and not if you're the Cartel. Change the kids and you own the future.

Full post as published by Copyfight - The Politics of IP on April 16, 2010 (boomark / email).