Dear Helen Wong and especially the Editors of The Daily Californian: On today’s opinion page, I see that you have decided to share your thoughts (we’ll call them thoughts) on the subject of piracy, predicated on your desire to see the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After trying unsuccessfully to view this film through a legal and relatively cheap ...
Every once in a while, a story emerges, usually involving the use of music in either a humorous, provocative, or even offensive context that is then assumed by many to be an example of fair use in the form of parody. Aside from the fact that parody itself does not automatically guarantee a use would be judged fair in an actual ...
If the TPP is secret, how accurate are its biggest critics? I can’t claim expertise (or even substantial knowledge) on the subject of international trade, but can you? When was the last time, you followed a trade negotiation like a sports fan? Yeah, me either. But consistent with our conspiracy-rich times fostered by overvalue of context-free leaks and well-funded fear ...
We all know the cliche, right? Free distribution made possible by Internet technology gives the artist exposure that will lead to otherwise hidden rewards; and so restricting use through ownership is anathema to the opportunity provided by social media. Bullshit. A friend just shared what may be the perfect real-life anecdote that gives lie to the culture of permissionlessness. Photographer ...
In at least a few posts advocating for the right of the copyright holder to control the use of works for reasons other than money, I have raised hypothetical scenarios in which particularly odious entities make use of works in ways that are uniquely offensive to the soul of the original. Most recently, I employed such hypotheticals on the subject of ...
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
– Daniel J. Boorstin