Ambitious – Pirate Party to the Sky!

In a move that roughly parallels global capitalism’s quest for domain over the heavens since the late 1950s, Pirate Parties are now suggesting taking to the sky via balloon or satellite as a means of ensuring access to culture without the hindrances of territorial law. Basically a hi-tech, sci-fi redux of the British pirate radio […]

Bizarre French Anti-piracy Strategy

This is the most bizarre but imaginative strategy I have heard of yet. And like many other anti-piracy strategies seems like a weak band aid. For the next two years the French govt will subsidize half – that’s right half – the cost of a 50 euro ($70 USD) card to be used to download […]

Cory Doctorow – The Real Cost of Free

Cory Doctorow, always a great read. You know who peddles false hope to naive would-be artists? People who go around implying that but for all those internet pirates, there’d be full creative employment for all of us. That the reason artists earn so little is because our audiences can’t be trusted, that once we get […]

Cory Doctorow – Digital Economy Act: This means war

Cory Doctorow’s latest. The entertainment industry’s willingness to use parliament to impose censorship and arbitrary punishment in the course of chasing a few extra quid is so depraved and terrible that it has me in fear for the very underpinnings of democracy and civil society. Indeed, the swiftness with which the DEA went through the […]

Michael Geist on the Canadian Copyright Reform Consultation

Michael Geist notes the rock and hard place situation in which Canadians who desire a sane copyright law find themselves. The strategies employed by powerful lobby groups in order to shut out the voices of educators and consumers of creative works are of particular interest. Those in support of strict copyright laws, including “three strikes” […]