There is no copyright policy, only Internet policy; there is no Internet policy, only policy

My latest Locus column is "It’s Time to Stop Talking About Copyright," about the way that concentrating on "copyright" instead of "Internet policy" or "policy" causes us to miss the big picture:

The disconnection laws that the entertainment industry has bought for itself in the UK, New Zealand and France provide for removing whole households from the Internet on the strength of their copyright accusations. If the net were just cable TV, this might make sense, but for families all over the world, the net is work, socialization, health, education, access to tools and ideas, freedom of speech, assembly and the press, as well as the conduit to political and civic engagement.

There just isn’t such a thing as ‘‘copyright policy’’ anymore. Every modern copyright policy becomes Internet policy – policy that touches on every aspect of how we use the net.

And as we make the transition from a world where everything we do includes an online component to a world where everything we do requires an online component, it’s becoming the case that there’s no such thing as ‘‘Internet policy’’ – there’s just policy.

Cory Doctorow: It’s Time to Stop Talking About Copyright

• [SarahKH]

  “For so long as we go on focusing this debate on artists, creativity, and audiences”

  I don’t think WE have to be honest.  I think the various media organisations, their paid shills and the artists contracted to them who’ve made lots of money but don’t quite know from where (hint: it ain’t album sales guys) have kept the debate firmly on those subjects. 

  Now full disclosure: I’m a filthy pirate, I have dabbled with it for years.  I also buy a truck load of stuff online, either digital goods or using websites to buy physical objects.  Yes, I have brought music from iTunes as well as places like allofmp3 (which was found to be legal).   I would honestly say that my connection is used more for legitimate purchases than it is downloading dubious knock offs. 

  But it’s not about creativity or privacy, it always comes down to money.  Well, here in the UK we could by ‘music tapes’ and ‘music CDs’, I’m sure there are similar things in various other countries.  Blank media which is more expensive because it has a payment to the rights holding conglomerate attached to it.  A begrudging acceptance that bad people will do bad things but here is a way to go legit.  So if money is all these people care about can’t we, the ‘bad people’ collectively ask: How much?   How much extra per month do you want to STFU and go away?  £5?  £10? £20? on top of my ISP fees.   I’m all for it. 

  We’ve already figured out it’s about pounds/dollars/yen.  We’ve just got to haggle over the amount. 

• [Frederik]

  I’m constantly surprised at how easy politicians seem to grant all these special laws and powers to the entertainment industrie.
  “Hi, I make movies about giant robots exploding and have teenagers sing cheesy love songs, can I have special laws to prop up my failing business, please?”
  The correct answer to that request should be: “F%ck off! I’m busy running a country and have bigger things to worry about.”

  • [digi_owl]

    Its because some economist or other noticed China going big in consumer industry, and figured the best way to make a buck on this global world was to stake out rent on the ideas being turned into products. Hey presto, the “knowledge economy”. The economy where the west comes up with the ideas and designs, and the east puts them together in physical form. Only one pesky problem, this was tried once before and it ended with a shipload of tea in a harbor, a war of independence, and a new nation giving the middle finger to the patent grants of its old master.

• [Deidzoeb]

  I’m eager to read this later when I get a chance, I’m sure it’s interesting and insightful, but that headline, “It’s Time to Stop Talking About Copyright,” coming from Cory? Next in this series, I’ll be watching for “It’s Time to Stop Talking About Movies” by Roger Ebert and “It’s Time to Stop Talking About Sports” by Howard Cosell.