Exclusive Rights Horror Stories Sought

(Forwarded from Boing Boing Blog)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Public domain needs your copyright horror-stories!
   Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 18:26:42 -0700
   From: "Cory Doctorow" <[email protected]>
     To: [email protected]


Have you had your creativity and expression crushed by intellecutal property
law? Did you have a  business, a work of art, a blog entry or some other
form of endeavor that was squashed by the threat  or reality of a trademark,
copyright or patent suit?

Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, and The Center for the Study of the
Public Domain are  putting together a public-education campaign to
disseminate IP law horror-stories to help people  understand what the
expansion of copyright and related doctrines has cost us all. They want
your  stories for the collection. 

     We'd like to hear stories from artists, authors, musicians, filmmakers,
computer  programmers, entrepreneurs, librarians - or anyone with a personal
story involving  intellectual property law. Your stories are important
because American copyright,  trademark and patent law, grounded in Article I
of the Constitution, are designed to  promote individual creativity and
innovation: we need to make sure they're functioning in  this way.

     Unfortunately, the recent expansion of intellectual property laws has
had the opposite  effect. New laws are discouraging creativity and
innovation rather than encouraging it,  and stifling other important values
such as freedom of speech. Longer copyright terms,  the end of copyright
registration requirements, stronger trademark laws and the  expansion of
patent eligibility are some of the changes that have spurred this trend.

Link:
http://www.publicknowledge.org/action/call-for-public-domain-stories.html
Discuss: http://www.quicktopic.com/boing/H/wFu3eHecXKYB

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Posted by Cory Doctorow to Boing Boing Blog at 8/13/2003 6:26:41 PM

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