Rock climbers have a tradition of sharing “beta”—helpful information about a route—with other climbers. Giving beta is both useful and a form of community-building within this popular sport. Given that strong tradition of sharing, we were disappointed to learn that the owners of an important community website, MountainProject.com, were abusing copyright to try to shut down another site OpenBeta.io. The good news…

In January of 2012, an unprecedented coordinated protest took place online in opposition to two federal bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). More than 115,000 websites published protest content or even completely shut down for the day in an attempt to shut down these internet blacklist attempts. The extreme anti-piracy bills would have jeopardized online community platforms…

Copyright Stakeholders Object To Proposed Digital Copyright Act. In comments submitted to Senator Thom Tillis on his proposed Digital Copyright Act of 2021, Re:Create, its members, consumer groups and other copyright stakeholders were unified in their strong, clear objections to the flawed proposal which would warp the DMCA. The objections were based on concerns with the creation of a “copyright…

Last week was the deadline for comments on the draft of the so-called “Digital Copyright Act,” a proposal which would fundamentally change how creativity functions online. We asked for creators to add their voices to the many groups opposing this draft, and you did it. Ultimately, over 900 of you signed a letter expressing your concern. The “Digital Copyright Act”…

WASHINGTON — Last week, Re:Create, its members, consumer groups, and other copyright stakeholders submitted requested comments to Senator Thom Tillis on his proposed Digital Copyright Act of 2021, which was first released in December 2020. Below are excerpts of their submissions which are unified in their strong, clear objections to the flawed proposal which would warp the DMCA. Creates a…

The Digital Copyright Act would have a chilling effect on the internet ecosystem. Had it passed just 10 years ago, this new creative industry would never have been created. It deter the proliferation of not just the new creative economy — additional innovative technologies, like cloud services, would not exist. No investor would have taken a chance on the platforms…

Last week more than 50 universities, associations, and organizations celebrated the eighth annual Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week, a celebration of these critical copyright doctrines that foster scholarship and creativity. Fair use in the US and fair dealing in Canada allow the public to lawfully use copyrighted materials without asking for permission. Described by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a built-in accommodation…

Re:Create Letter To Congress. In a letter to the 117th Congress, Re:Create details its copyright priorities and calls for equitable copyright policy for every sector of society. The letter also emphasizes the effectiveness of the DMCA in support of online creativity and economic growth. “Attempts to increase the protections provided by U.S. copyright law may serve an important purpose, but…

In a letter to the 117th U.S. Congress, Re:Create details its copyright priorities and calls for equitable copyright policy for every sector of society. The letter also emphasizes the effectiveness of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in support of online creativity and economic growth. Attempts to increase the protections provided by U.S. copyright law may serve an important purpose,…

We started the week sharing the ways that we’re all fair users now, and as #fairuseweek nears its end, we now look to the future. ARL’s Action Plan prioritizes digital rights, which to us means working toward barrier-free access to information. Barriers to internet access can be physical or economic, such as lacking broadband at home when schools and libraries are closed. Bad public policy…