Copyright Matters Online
Johndan Johnson-Eilola
Clarkson University
http://www.clarkson.edu/~johndan/
Background image source: http://www.freephoto.com/
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Digital Millenium Copyright A
 WIPO Treaties (including protection against
circumvention of IP protection technologies)
 Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation
(online service providers)
 Computer Maintenance or Repair
 Miscellaneous Provisions (ephemeral recordings,
webcasting, handwaving distance ed issues until
TEACH Act)
 Vessel Hull Design Protection Act
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Sonny Bono Copyright Term
Extension Act (no, really)
 Adds 20 Years to Current Terms (retrocative)
 Congressional Rep. Mary Bono: “Sonny wanted the
term of copyright protection to last forever,” but
added, “I am informed by staff that such a change
would violate the constitution.” [She] noted that
Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association
of America had suggest a term of “forever less one
day.” (Sind-Flor, “Breyer,” Law.com)
 Supreme Court Scheduled to Hear Eldred v.
Ashcroft
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S.487: TEACH Act
 Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization
• Expands Categories of Works That Can be Shown
Online
• Allows Asynchronous Storage and Use in Some Cases
• Permits Digitization of Works for Online Use
• Clarifies Non-infringing Uses for Transitory Technical
Duplication
 Passed by Senate, Stalled in House
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[Myth of]
The Tragedy of the Commons
 Hardin: “Imagine a pasture…”
 Stallman: “Free as in freedom not free as in beer.
 Lessig: Where’s community?
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EULA & UCITA:
End User License Agreements
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[sucker]
 … BY CHOOSING “YES” YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE
BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE
 … You own the media on which the LimeWire Software is
recorded but LimeWire retains the title to the LimeWire
Software.
 … You may not decompile, reverse engineer,
disassemble, modify, rent, lease, loan, sublicense,
distribute or create derivative works based upon the
LimeWire Software in whole or part or transmit the
LimeWire Software over a network.
 … Use of the LimeWire Software to sell a product or
service, or to increase traffic to your web site for
commercial reasons, such as advertising sales is
expressly forbidden
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Move Toward Licenses
 UCITA: Uniform Computer Information Transactions
Act (state contract law)
 Removal of Constitutional Free Speech Rights
 End Run Around Fair Use
 Limitations to Liability
 Removal from Community
 Removal of First Sale Rights
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Microsoft FrontPage 2002 EULA
“You may not use the Software in connection with
any site that disparages Microsoft, MSN, NSNBC,
Expedia, or their products or services, infringe
any intellectual property or other rights of those
parties, violate any state, federal or international
law, or promote racism, hatred, or pornography.”
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Alternatives: Open Definitions
Parasitical/Parallel Moves (Appropriating Copyright)
 Public Domain
 Open Source
 Open Text
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Definition: Public Domain
Publicly Owned Property
 No Exclusive Property Rights (belongs to public)
 May Be Used by Anyone
 No Payment or Licensing Fee required
Somewhat Difficult to Actually Do
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Definition: Open Source
Open Source
 At Heart, A Develoment Methodology
 Open and Free Access to Source Code
 Can Integrate Open Source Software into
Proprietary Software
Free Software Movement
 Subsequent Modifications Distributed Under Same
License
 Software Can be Sold, but Buyer Can Redistribute
for Free
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Definition: Open Text
 Understanding “Text” as “Code”
 Open Knowledge Initiative, Advanced Distributed
Learning, CourseWork, OpenCourseWare
 Requires an Infrastructure and Content within a
Community
 Lessig’s Commons
• Content Layer: Text and Graphics on Pages, Email,
etc.
• Code Layer: TCP/IP, HTTP, etc.
• Physical Layer: Wires, Routers, Computers, etc.
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CCC IP Community
IP Caucus + IP Committee + Everyone Else
IP Website: Dynamic, Participatory, Open Source
Community
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CCC IP Website
<http://ween.snell.clarkson.edu/ip/>
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