I found this post at EFF’s DeepLinks blog fascinating. It’s about the first of a series of hearings on limitations to DMCA (the copyright office has triennial rounds on such limitations)–and this new group (well, new to me!), the Joint Reply Commenters, that appears poised to respond to any outrageous attempt (read: any attempt) to limit DMCA in any way whatsoever.
On the other hand, maybe I’m missing the formation of a new rock group, “Steven Metalitz and the Joint Reply Commenters.” Their first big hit will be a riff on Paul Simon’s Kodachrome, the chorus line being “Hey mama don’t take our DMCA away…”
Actually, I like this: If it becomes clearer that the forces of absolute copyright and locking down everything speak with a single voice, it may be easier to deal with them…or not.
I call it “The Axis Of Copyright”.
But don’t read too much into it. They’re just following the procedure indicated by the Library of Congress Copyright Office for the hearings:
http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr9302.html
“In order to avoid duplicative and cumulative testimony and to ensure that all relevant issues and viewpoints are addressed, the Office encourages parties with similar interests to select common representatives to testify on behalf of a particular position.”
Those forces have been pretty lock-step for a bit, so it’s not a complete shock that they’re acting jointly, but it does make it easier to track. Ed Felten had an interesting take on their written response published earlier last month:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=984
On a related note, librarycopyright.net will be getting updated soon- within the next two weeks, hopefully- to provide more copyright resources for librarians and other interested parties.
I like “The Axis of Copyright.” And thanks for the explication. Still, there’s something charming about the Poised To Respond Group, ever ready to beat down any attempt to balance copyright interests…