Death to the libraries… and everything not copyrighted

We could soon be approaching a world where the mighty power of the copyright rules all. Instead of death plus 75 years for copyrights, it could be for infinity. Creativity would be completely stifled if no one could use others’ materials. The first major casualty of this type of world would be the public library. How can a person check out a book that isn’t allowed to be viewed without purchasing first? Your local Blockbuster movie store will have movies, games and now…books to rent.

“Lending libraries in particular are in jeopardy if publishers take the same hard line that the music and movie companies have taken, because in a pay-per-view copyright regime, lending becomes impossible.” (Gilmor, 219)

This world isn’t too far off, especially with the rise of the wiki. Electronic media will soon surpass the written word as the most purchased content. Libraries, like most “old” technologies, will become a lasting legacy in the “Pop Culture” section of most museums.

Gilmor’s chapters about the entertainment industries’ super-hold on copyright have scared me since my first Communications class four years ago. If there is one thing I have learned from a Communications degree, it is that corporate media consolidation is not the right answer for democracy’s promise for America. The 1^st Amendment is being whittled away, and the government, no less the people, is doing nothing about it. In fact, we praise Microsoft for providing better Windows software, instead of demanding our government to create more competition so that someone else can develop a better product. We ask Hollywood to release blockbuster movies faster on DVD instead of directing or producing our own masterpiece. And, probably worst of all, we let them copyright it for up to almost 200 years, guaranteeing that whatever message produced in the movie, song or book has been removed from the public sphere in our lifetime.

So what can we do? Give up, go back to standing in line at the movie theater hoping Iron Man 4 isn’t a remake of the past three and doesn’t completely suck? Or do we pick up a camera and make our own awesome film? Or grab a notepad and pen and do our own version of “the news?” Perhaps no one will see your 10-minute flick or read about how the police department doesn’t do a good job of serving your neighborhood. Think about, though, what could happen if even one person did see? Many of history’s greatest heroes and heroines started their movement because of an idea, because they saw something happen that they didn’t agree with, because they wanted to do something. We can all change the world, no matter how small that change is.

Questions:

1. What are the 1st Amendment issues involved with current copyright laws? In other words, describe the pros and cons of an “all rights reserved” media landscape.

2. As bloggers, how can we maintain our promise to democracy as the Fifth Estate when it comes to copyright? Should bloggers put more concern on protection of their words or the importance of spreading their ideas?

Apache pilots say hello from Iraq