Expression Obsession: IP Enforcement & Internet Openness
Channel: New America
Date: 14/11/2012

Expression Obsession: IP Enforcement & Internet Openness

This panel was part of Future of Music Summit 2012 and was recorded live at New America Foundation in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2012.

For more information on this event: http://futureofmusic.org/events/future-music-summit-2012

Free speech is crucial to creators. Musicians and other artists express themselves in countless ways, and on countless platforms. So much of this expression happens on the internet — whether it's on social media, online music communities or an artist's own website. An open internet is crucial to the exchange of ideas that inform every aspect of our lives, from entertainment to activism. Yet there is a tension between maintaining openness and protecting those who make a living from their creations. Recent policy proposals around intellectual property enforcement, such as the Stop Online Piracy Act, were defeated by a massive protest that included major website blackouts. Does this mean that government should back away from policies to combat infringement? Or is there a way to thread the needle to preserve online expression while putting the brakes on piracy? Are we doing enough to ensure that creative content can be licensed efficiently and lawfully for the benefit of those consumers who really do want to pay? These questions are increasingly being asked within the international policy sphere; the answers will define our networked lives for years to come.

Erin McKeown Musician, Writer, Producer
David Sohn General Counsel and Director of CDT's Project on Copyright and Technology, Center for Democracy & Technology
John Strohm Senior Counsel, Loeb & Loeb LLP
Maggie Vail co-Executive Director, CASH Music
Michael Bracy Policy Director, Future of Music Coalition (moderator)

http://newamerica.net/events/2012/the_future_of_music_summit_2012