Some years ago I was in the White House arguing with one of the fellows who was then supposedly in charge of American policy regarding digital copyright. He agreed that the Administration's policies were quite as stupid as I thought they were. In any event, this stark reminder of realpolitik has been on my mind since that day. And it has occurred to me that part of the answer to preserving free speech and creativity on the Internet might lie in solving Mr. Valenti's particular problem without having him impose his solution on those of us who make songs or novels or political screeds or scientific papers or almost any act of intellectual creation besides movies. His desire to protect his own industry will enslave those of us who think at less expense.
Cinema does indeed present special problems.
Unlike other acts of human creativity, which have previously required an industrial process to distribute, his requires an industrial process to create. Millions of dollars in capital must be amassed up front to make a film, something that could hardly be said of a poem or a painting. It is not unreasonable for those who take such risks to look for a return on their investment. Even though Jack cost his industry billions by keeping video cassette players out of the country for five years, he may have a point this time. There is a certain amount of effort and inconvenience in pirating a film, which almost no one seems willing to submit themselves to.