Should linking to copyrighted material be outlawed, as one American Judge Richard Posner has suggested?
Well, obviously I view this through the lense of being a blogger; a profession which would be made difficult, and in some cases nigh impossible if one were unable to link to sources. So I'm biased.
But really, does one need a bias to see that this is a dumb idea? Sure, it might help the more wheezing and bed-ridden of the newspaper biz to hold on to what little life they still have, but really, it would be at the price of mediocrity for everyone. Blogging is by no means a substitute for the papers - but that doesn't mean that it can't serve a damned good purpose. Why should the bloggers suffer just because the journos are going through a rough patch?
And furthermore, I would probably disagree with this just on principle, because I disagree with most copyright laws - I think that what we call a 'copyright infringement' is more something that should be dealt with by labor laws ( the labor of the person who created the 'copyrighted' material ) than by, in essence property laws. But that's something for another post, or perhaps even an article, if I'm able to summon the energy to put one together on the topic sometime.
2 comments:
"the more wheezing and bed-ridden of the newspaper biz"
Ha ha! EXCELLENT turn of phrase, and all the better for being true *grin*
The MSM is going to not get it into its grave, thinks me. But we mustn't be complacent. Any attempt to restrict access to news is going to have to be met with really fierce resistance. If it's a fight they want, a fight they surely will get.
Just look at the lynching of Jennifer "Oh, you meanie bloggers" Lynch ;)
Thanks!
I think that there are some merits to the MSM - don't me wrong - but I think there are a certain group of MSM outlets who are not bowing out at all gracefully - and these people are going to make things miserable for everybody else in the process of their not bowing out gracefully.
And you're right - this is going to have to be met with fierce resistance. For the sake of those in the media who are still worth the effort, if for nothing else :)
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