Lessig on Orphan Works

21 May

Posted by Agnes Varnum as Policy

Funny that Larry Lessig, the Stanford law professor who has evangelized free culture and copyright reform, stepped away from his work in this area yet decided to publish an op-ed in the NY Times coming out against the current orphan works legislation, despite the support it has within creative communities. He writes,
The proposed change is […]

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Myths and Facts About Orphan Works Legislation

12 May

Posted by Agnes Varnum as Big Picture, Policy

It seems that there are some misunderstandings going around about the pending Orphan Works legislation that might threaten this very important bill for artists. Thanks to Alex Curtis at Public Knowledge, we have some answers to questions that have bubbled up:
MYTH: The bills would take away copyright protection from every work a visual artist ever […]

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Mistaken Copyright Identity

16 Apr

Posted by Agnes Varnum as Big Picture, Policy

Over at Public Knowledge, Mehan Jayasuriya writes an intriguing piece about a case of mistaken copyright between Cat Power and deceased songwriter Jessie Mae Hemphill, specifically addressing the issue of whether “incidences involving sampling should be exempt from would-be orphan works laws”.
Matador Records had incorrectly credited a song on Cat Power’s recent Jukebox covers album […]