Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars: The Crusade Against Piracy and the Assault on Freedom

In recent years, there has been a growing public outcry over the issue of copyright infringement. Led by powerful entertainment industry lobbyists, this outcry has resulted in a series of increasingly draconian laws designed to crack down on piracy. These laws have been accompanied by a wave of moral panic, in which piracy is portrayed as a threat to our economic well-being, our national security, and even our moral values.

In Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars, Siva Vaidhyanathan argues that this moral panic is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of copyright and the role it plays in our society. Vaidhyanathan shows that piracy is not a threat to the creative economy, but rather a natural consequence of the digital age. He also argues that the current copyright regime is stifling innovation and creativity, and that it is being used to justify an unprecedented assault on our freedom of speech.

Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars

by William Patry

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1427 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	280 pages
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The Rise of the Moral Panic

The moral panic over copyright infringement began in the early 1990s, with the rise of Napster and other file-sharing technologies. These technologies made it possible for people to share music, movies, and other copyrighted works with unprecedented ease. The entertainment industry responded with a series of lawsuits and lobbying efforts, arguing that piracy was a threat to their profits and to the livelihoods of artists and musicians.

In 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed into law. The DMCA made it illegal to circumvent digital rights management (DRM) technologies, which are used to protect copyrighted works from unauthorized copying. The DMCA also created a new safe harbor provision for online service providers, which allowed them to avoid liability for copyright infringement if they met certain conditions.

The DMCA was followed by a series of other laws designed to crack down on piracy. In 2005, the PROTECT IP Act was passed, which expanded the scope of the DMCA and created new penalties for copyright infringement. In 2012, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced in Congress, which would have given the government the power to shut down websites that were accused of copyright infringement.

SOPA was met with widespread opposition from internet activists and free speech advocates. The bill was eventually defeated, but it showed the entertainment industry's determination to crack down on piracy at any cost.

The Misunderstanding of Copyright

The moral panic over copyright infringement is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of copyright. Copyright is a legal monopoly that gives the owner of a copyrighted work the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and sell that work. This monopoly is intended to protect the economic interests of copyright owners, but it also has a negative impact on creativity and innovation.

In the digital age, copyright is becoming increasingly difficult to enforce. Digital technologies make it easy to copy and share copyrighted works without the permission of the copyright holder. This has led to a growing tension between the interests of copyright owners and the interests of the public.

The Assault on Freedom

The current copyright regime is being used to justify an unprecedented assault on our freedom of speech. The DMCA and other copyright laws have been used to prosecute people for sharing copyrighted works without the permission of the copyright holder. In some cases, people have been prosecuted for simply linking to copyrighted works on the internet.

The assault on freedom of speech is not limited to the United States. In the United Kingdom, the government has proposed a new law that would require internet service providers to block access to websites that are accused of copyright infringement. This law would have a devastating impact on free speech, as it would allow the government to censor websites without any due process.

The moral panic over copyright infringement is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of copyright and the role it plays in our society. Piracy is not a threat to the creative economy, but rather a natural consequence of the digital age. The current copyright regime is stifling innovation and creativity, and it is being used to justify an unprecedented assault on our freedom of speech.

We need to rethink our approach to copyright. We need to find a way to balance the interests of copyright owners with the interests of the public. We need to protect creativity and innovation, but we also need to protect our freedom of speech.

Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars

by William Patry

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1427 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	280 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE