Financial Times Editorial Board: Is EU Copyright Proposal A Case Of Misunderstanding? With the attention focused on the European Commission’s controversial copyright plan, the Financial Times weighed in with a September 20 editorial, Brussels takes a backward step on digital copyright, that questions the commission’s basic understanding stating, “The kindest interpretation would be that the commission has misunderstood the digital marketplace.” The editorial concluded that “[t]he substance should be fair and not simply benefit a minority of powerful players. Rewarding a select few at the expense of many others would mean replacing one bad system with another that is equally bad.”
New Librarian of Congress Talks Digitization. Just days into her new post as the 14th Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden talked with PBS Newshour’s Jeffrey Brown on the role of the library in the digital age. When asked about why investing in libraries is important at this time, Hayden stressed that, “What we found is a library’s place is even more important. There is a hunger in this digital age to hear authors together, to participate in programs, to just be in a place, a community space.” In response to Brown’s questions about the privatization of digital media, Hayden pointed out that “there are so many items not in the copyright domain. People might not realize the Library of Congress manages the copyright process for the nation.”
Pirates And Pirrrracy. In celebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, the R Street Institute takes a creative spin on the day to point out how the increasing role of electronic devices in our lives has made copying – and pirating – easier and more prevalent. As a result, R Street’s Sasha Moss writes, “Piracy, and the reactions to it, has had an immense impact on the daily lives of ordinary Americans, shaping their digital experience by determining how they can share, transfer and consume content.” Moss notes the “ridiculous anti-piracy campaigns” that came out of this period and also important laws and policies, like the DMCA. With all of the change that has taken place Moss reminds readers, “While our copyright laws are far from perfect, we still have substantial freedom to remix, repurpose and share creative content online in a social context. This is essential to online free expression, digital commerce and the proper functioning of the internet itself. As additional discussions in Congress and in the courts move forward, let’s make sure we keep it that way.”
Join Us On Sept. 30th At The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library! The Re:Create Coalition is proud to support the DC Public Library Foundation and encourages others to come out to “Uncensored: The Cocktail Party” on September 30 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The event will celebrate creativity, diversity and the freedom to read and coincides with the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. To learn more about the Banned Books Scavenger Hunt taking place in Washington, D.C., read this NPR story.
3D Printing Allows Us To Rethink How Cars Are Made. Just like many other areas of our lives, technology is revolutionizing the automotive industry too. Digital Trends reports on 3D-printing startup Divergent 3D which is working with automaker Peugeot on 3D-metal printing. While the technology is still new, Divergent 3D founder and CEO Kevin Czinger said of the possibilities, “people will see that the advantages to doing this — economic, innovation and environmental — are so powerful that this becomes the standard way of manufacturing over the next decade.”