It's Cool to be a Copyright Abolitionist · Wednesday June 11, 2008 by Crosbie Fitch
Chris Ovenden said 6070 days ago :
Hi Crosbie! I agree with you on this; half-hearted measures just aren’t going to cut it. Try logging into their site again; it worked for me. We abolitionists have to stick together :-)
Crosbie Fitch said 6070 days ago :
Glad to have you on board Chris, but I reckon we should spread out. ;-)
I fancy the ‘Restoration of Intellectual Property Rights’ angle myself.
Anyway, there’s nothing so persuasive as money to convince people they don’t need copyright.
Argument for its abolition is a way of helping people understand that copyright is an unethical, unnatural anachronism, and why, when confronted by the nature of information, it is now so clearly ineffective, even with misanthropically punitive enforcement measures.
Let’s try and put it a little more simply:
Copyright is dead.
Petitioning for its abolition is simply a plea that file-sharing families can sleep soundly without being terrorised by IP stormtroopers before sunrise.
Which reminds me, another word for copy is ‘parrot’.
Legislation Vendor:
No no! Copyright's fine! It just needs more 'education'.
Media Lobbyist:
Copyright's not fine! Copyright's passed on! This privilege is no more! It has ceased to be! Copyright's expired and gone to meet Queen Anne!
Copyright's a stiff! Bereft of life, Copyright rests in peace! If you hadn't enacted the EUCD and put violators to the birch Copyright'd be pushing up the daisies!
Its monopolistic processes are now 'istory! Copyright's off the twig!
Copyright's kicked the bucket, It's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!!
THIS IS AN EX-PRIVILEGE!!
(pause)
Legislation Vendor:
Well, I'd better replace it, them.
(he takes a quick peek in a dusty book)
Sorry squire, I've had a look 'round the back of the legislature, and uh, we're right out of privileges.
Media Lobbyist:
I see. I see, I get the picture.
Legislation Vendor:
I got a tax.
(pause)
Media Lobbyist: (sweet as sugar)
Pray, does it control IP?
Legislation Vendor:
Nnnnot really.
Media Lobbyist:
WELL IT'S HARDLY A BLOODY REPLACEMENT, IS IT?!!???!!??
A new website AbolishCopyright.com gives another sign that this imperative is beginning to have popular appeal.
Though it is amusing for the site’s proponent to then reveal that he doesn’t mean ‘abolish copyright’ literally:
“It is not practical to abolish copyright altogether in the U.S. since doing so would require a constitutional amendment. It is our intended purpose here to counter these foes of progress by refining the term “limited times” to a more reasonable value, for example 30 days.”
How in its first article can a site called ‘Abolish Copyright’ both give up hope of achieving its raison d’être and state that a 30 day copyright term is reasonable?
Either you’re a reformist or you’re an abolitionist.
Don’t wear the wrong mantle, even if it looks like it might get you more chicks. If you find it uncomfortable, it’s a clue that it doesn’t fit.
I would have posted a comment to the effect that no constitutional amendment is required (see Constitutional Sanction), but the site has informed me I’m not even authorised to view comments – let alone post them. Site configuration issues I guess.
Let’s see how it goes…