Fun_People Archive
18 Aug
The Intellectual Enclosure Act

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 100 08:47:23 -0700
To: Fun_People
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Subject: The Intellectual Enclosure Act

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From: Steve Lamont

>From <http://www.public.asu.edu/~dkarjala/>:

       On October 7, 1998, both the House and the Senate passed S. 505,
       the "Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act,"extending the
       already-too-long term of copyright protection by another 20 years.
       The legislation purports to cover even works already in existence--a
       windfall gift to special interests of what rightfully belongs to
       the public. Our President, a self-proclaimed supporter of the little
       guy, signed the bill on October 27, 1998. Like the Congress,
       President Clinton has sold out the interests of the American people
       to a few owners of valuable copyrights from the 1920's and 1930's.
       This web site shows how and why this action was a tragic mistake.
       It also supplies news on a judicial challenge to the
       constitutionality of the term extension legislation, and contains
       materials opposing longer copyright terms generally in the hope
       that, when this issue arises again (around the year 2015 or so),
       those seeking to defend the public interest will have some
       ammunition.

This legislation was pushed by Disney, among others.  My SO owns stock in
Disney (ptoo!  Sweat shop scumbags.  I'm trying to get her to divest) and
so we get the annual report.  I recall Michael Eisner crowing in a recent
report that they had pushed through this legislation to protect The Mouse
well into the next millennium (I almost typed "billennium" there, which,
come to think of it, is probably appropriate).
							spl
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