Neil Gaiman: Join the Open Rights Group

Join the Open Rights Group: http://www.openrightsgroup.org/join/
As part of the Open Rights Group Law Fund campaign to fund a full-time Legal Officer, Neil Gaiman, our patron, spoke to us about his concerns for creators' rights and how it is vital ORG protect them. More information on the campaign at:
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2...

• Category

  Nonprofits & Activism

[seriouslyface]

You really need to fix the audio on this.

[ZombieInTheSun]

I don't know if the ability to pass on copyright is such a good idea in general. Descendants could just be such uncreative people. ;)

You might think about the recent surge of Sherlock Holmes centric movies and TV series whatever you want, but we could probably never have had them (and by extension maybe even work inspired by them like a few short stories of Mr Gaiman or the TV series House MD) if there had still been a holder of the copyright on the stories.

[econogate]

"Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts."

[subbookkeeper]

I think that It would be cool to make a Copyright Free foundation that would buy the copyrights and make them public. They could purchase big labels, software companies and make their catalogue available for free and open source.

[TreachMarkets]

Copyright isn't a human right. It's a temporary monopoly granted to promote innovation. That's it.

[Luke Joyce]

This is great. Cant wait to see Niel at MONA FOMA.

[sevenof9fl]

Thank Goodness, a superb statement at last, and from a source with real credentials.

[ZombieInTheSun]

To correct ~1:51: These German laws aren't recent. The GEMA is a private group that was formed by music publishers to protect them from copyright infringement back in the 30s. I'm not actually sure if there is a law that gives them the right to do the things they do, but basically they asume that they "protect" the right of everyone who makes music - and if you are in a major label they probably are. Youtube is simply refusing to pay them which is why most music videos are blocked for us.

[Tim Griffiths]

Well said. Copyright is crucially important to the creator of a work and they should be able to pass the benefit on to their children and, at a stretch, their grandchildren. The problem is that it is commonly hijacked by people who haven't got a creative bone in their body to use as a blunt instrument against everyone regardless of how creative or uncommercial they are in using earlier work.

[Londoner1958]

Superb! And thanks.