Fwd: Call for Public Domain Stories

Aug. 6, 2003

Type: discussion

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>From: "Ann Deville" <[email protected]>
>Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 16:21:50 -0400
>
>Call for Public Domain Stories.
>
>Attached, and copied below, are details of the collaboration between
>Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, and The Center for the Study of the
>Public Domain on a public-education campaign that will document creators'
>positive or negative experiences with current copyright, trademark and/or
>patent laws. We're interested in hearing from artists, filmmakers,
>musicians, computer programmers and anyone who has been hampered by
>restrictive intellectual property laws or assisted by the public domain.
>The stories will play an important role in demonstrating the need for
>policy change.
>
>We'd love it if you'd help us distribute the call–please forward it to
>anyone who may be interested, post it on appropriate mailing lists,
>use it in newsletters, insert it into bottles and cast them to sea or
>anyway you'd like.
>
>Information on how to participate is included. If you wish to be removed
>from this email list, please contact Ann DeVille at
>[email protected].
>
>Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.
>
>*******************************************************************************************************************************************************
>
>
>STRUGGLES WITH IP LAW
>A Call for Stories in Support of a Robust Public Domain
>
>We know youve got a great story, and we want you to tell it.
>
>Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, and The Center for the Study of the
>Public Domain are collaborating on a public-education campaign that will
>highlight the struggles of
>creators with intellectual property law. We are collecting stories of
>citizens who are hampered by restrictive intellectual property laws. If
>you have a personal story of copyright,
>trademark or patent laws needlessly hindering your work and ideas, we want
>to hear from you. Conversely, if your work has benefited from the
>availability of art and information
>in the public domain, we want to know about it.
>Wed 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.
>When intellectual property laws curtail creativity, we need to be creative
>in a different way by pushing for changes in the laws, ensuring that they
>are interpreted more
>narrowly, and working to change a culture in which large copyright and
>patent owners seek to extract large fees for even the most incidental use
>of their work.
>None of these changes will take place unless we can demonstrate that there
>is a need for change. Policymakers can be educated about these issues, but
>in order to make the case,
>we need your contribution.
>Maybe you are a filmmaker who has been told to pay a large licensing fee
>for a four second snippet of a copyrighted work. Or the director of a
>community orchestra who cannot
>afford to play any new music. Or maybe youre a writer who has taken the
>works of Margaret Mitchell, Dickens or Shakespeare and created successful
>derivative works. Perhaps
>you are an artist who has used commercial images like the Campbells Soup
>can. We need your stories to embody the problems and successes of
>copyright, trademarks and
>patents for the general public.
>Please email your story to [email protected] with Public Domain
>Stories in the header. Well present your stories to legislators, press
>and the general public through
>a website, video and other media. Please provide your name and a phone
>number where we can reach you during the day and tell us if you would
>prefer to remain anonymous
>when we publish your story.
>Your story can help others to understand how access to ideas and
>creativity is being locked up by needlessly restrictive new laws.
>Questions? Comments or suggestions? Give
>us a call at (202) 518-0020 or email us [email protected].
>****************************************************************************************************************
>Public Knowledge is a non-profit advocacy organization that seeks to
>ensure that copyright, patent, trademark and technology laws and policies
>promote the interests of the public.
>This Washington, D.C.-based group works with a wide spectrum of
>stakeholders, including libraries, educators, scientists, artists,
>musicians, journalists, consumers, programmers,
>
>civic groups and enlightened businesses, to promote certain fundamental
>democratic principles and cultural values openness, access, and the
>capacity to create and
>compete and to ensure these principles are reaffirmed in the digital
>age. For more information, see http://www.publicknowledge.org.
>
>Creative Commons, a non-profit corporation, promotes the creative re-use
>of intellectual works whether owned or public domain. It is sustained by
>the generous support of The
>Center for the Public Domain and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
>Foundation. Creative Commons is based at Stanford Law School, where it
>shares staff, space, and
>inspiration with the school's Center for Internet and Society. For more
>information, see www.creativecommons.org.
>
>The Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School was
>founded in September of 2002, as part of the schools wider intellectual
>property program. Its mission
>is to promote research and scholarship on the contributions of the public
>domain to speech, culture, science and innovation, to promote debate about
>the balance needed in our
>intellectual property system and to translate academic research into
>public policy solutions. For more information, see
>http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/index.html.

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<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>From: "Ann Deville"
<[email protected]> 
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 16:21:50 -0400 
 
Call for Public Domain Stories. 
Attached, and copied below, are details of the collaboration between
Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, and The Center for the Study of the
Public Domain on a public-education campaign that will document creators'
positive or negative experiences with current copyright, trademark and/or
patent laws. We're interested in hearing from artists, filmmakers,
musicians, computer programmers and anyone who has been hampered by
restrictive intellectual property laws or assisted by the public domain.
The stories will play an important role in demonstrating the need for
policy change. 
We'd love it if you'd help us distribute the call–please forward it to
anyone who may be interested, post it on appropriate mailing lists, 
use it in newsletters, insert it into bottles and cast them to sea or
anyway you'd like. 
Information on how to participate is included. If you wish to be removed
from this email list, please contact Ann DeVille at 
[email protected]. 
Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.
 
  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************* 
  
  
STRUGGLES WITH IP
LAW 
A Call for Stories in Support of a Robust Public
Domain 
  
We know youve got a great story, and we want you to tell it. 
<pre>Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, and The Center for the
Study of the Public Domain are collaborating on a public-education
campaign that will highlight the struggles of
creators with intellectual property law.  We are collecting stories
of citizens who are hampered by restrictive intellectual property laws.
If you have a personal story of copyright,
trademark or patent laws needlessly hindering your work and ideas, we
want to hear from you. Conversely, if your work has benefited from the
availability of art and information
in the public domain, we want to know about it.
</pre> 
<pre>Wed 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. </pre> 
<pre>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. </pre> 
<pre>When intellectual property laws curtail creativity, we need to be
creative in a different way by pushing for changes in the laws, ensuring
that they are interpreted more
narrowly, and working to change a culture in which large copyright and
patent owners seek to extract large fees for even the most incidental use
of their work. </pre> 
<pre>None of these changes will take place unless we can demonstrate that
there is a need for change. Policymakers can be educated about these
issues, but in order to make the case,
we need your contribution.
</pre> 
<pre>Maybe you are a filmmaker who has been told to pay a large licensing
fee for a four second snippet of a copyrighted work. Or the director of a
community orchestra who cannot
afford to play any new music. Or maybe youre a writer who has taken the
works of Margaret Mitchell, Dickens or Shakespeare and created successful
derivative works. Perhaps
you are an artist who has used commercial images like the Campbells Soup
can. We need your stories to embody the problems and successes of
copyright, trademarks and
patents for the general public.
</pre> 
<pre>Please email your story to [email protected] with Public Domain
Stories in the header.  Well present your stories to legislators,
press and the general public through
a website, video and other media. Please provide your name and a phone
number where we can reach you during the day and tell us if you would
prefer to remain anonymous
when we publish your story.
</pre> 
<pre>Your story can help others to understand how access to ideas and
creativity is being locked up by needlessly restrictive new laws.
Questions? Comments or suggestions? Give
us a call at (202) 518-0020 or email us
[email protected].</pre> 
<pre>****************************************************************************************************************</pre> 
<pre>Public Knowledge is a non-profit advocacy organization that seeks to
ensure that copyright, patent, trademark and technology laws and policies
promote the interests of the public.
This Washington, D.C.-based group works with a wide spectrum of
stakeholders, including libraries, educators, scientists, artists,
musicians, journalists, consumers, programmers,
</pre> 
<pre>
civic groups and enlightened businesses, to promote certain fundamental
democratic principles and cultural values openness, access, and the
capacity to create and
compete and to ensure these principles are reaffirmed in the digital
age.  For more information, see
<a href="http://www.publicknowledge.org/" eudora="autourl">http://www.publicknowledge.org</a>.</pre> 
<pre> </pre> 
<pre>Creative Commons, a non-profit corporation, promotes the creative
re-use of intellectual works whether owned or public domain. It is
sustained by the generous support of The
Center for the Public Domain and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation. Creative Commons is based at Stanford Law School, where it
shares staff, space, and
inspiration with the school's Center for Internet and Society. For more
information, see
<a href="http://www.creativecommons.org/" eudora="autourl">www.creativecommons.org</a>.</pre> 
<pre> </pre> 
<pre>The Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School was
founded in September of 2002, as part of the schools wider intellectual
property program. Its mission
is to promote research and scholarship on the contributions of the public
domain to speech, culture, science and innovation, to promote debate
about the balance needed in our
intellectual property system and to translate academic research into
public policy solutions.  For more information, see
<a href="http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/index.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/index.html</a>.</pre> 
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